Twilight  Time Twister
by aliboe
Summary: He said that this was not the end-he would come back for me. Bella moves to Forks, hoping to escape her tragic past. There she meets Edward. Will he be able to save her?
1. Chapter 1

My life has always been ordinary. My parents, Charlie and Renee, were high school sweethearts and married after graduation. A year later, I was born. Sometime during pregnancy, my mom realized that she didn't like Forks. Renee wanted to leave. Charlie just began his career at the police station with the promise of becoming the Chief of Police one day. He wanted to stay. She wanted a divorce. He begged her to stay. Renee agreed to stay until I turned one. I think Charlie hoped she'd change her mind and stay. That didn't happen.

I was named Grace Isabella Potter. Of course, life has an interesting sense of humor. Sure, name your clumsy child Grace. I swear I had the worst luck. I had an uncanny ability to trip over everything, even air. Thanks, Mom! In all fairness, Renee tried to help. She signed me up for dance classes which turned out to be a good idea. I was actually graceful when I danced, but only when I danced. Eh, I took what I could.

I'm not sure why Renee didn't give me Charlie's last name. The only thing I know is that Charlie wasn't happy about it. At least he got to see me every summer. That was the deal: stay with Renee in Phoenix and visit Charlie in the summer. During my stay, I hung out mostly at La Push. I don't think Charlie knew how to keep me entertained. The group consisted of Jacob, Leah, Seth, and me. Jacob became my big brother and Leah was my partner in crime. And Seth, well Seth was Seth. I loved them all to death.

This pattern was followed up until I was five. For some reason, I decided I didn't like Forks anymore. All I can recall was the bonfire at La Push and me, screaming and crying. Charlie was crushed. He couldn't figure out what went wrong. So I told him to visit me instead. As for my friends, I kept in touch with them up until the whole incident happened.

It was around the time of my last visit that I realized the irony of my name and my clumsiness. So from that moment on, I went by Isabella (Leah said it suited me better). Of course, Jacob not wanting to be outdone came up with his own nickname-Bells. He got a nice punch for that. My hand hurt for couple of days.

In ninth grade, I decided I didn't like Isabella and shortened it to Bella. In tenth grade, my whole life was turned inside out. During winter break of my junior year, I became Isabella Marie Swan. I still prefer Bella.

The moment I was deemed safe, I called him. Charlie was thrilled to hear that I wanted to live with him, even under these circumstances. It made me happy to hear him so excited about it. This was what I needed, a fresh start. In Forks, no one knew what had happened in Phoenix. I could be a normal teenager or at least attempt to be. No more looks of pity. No more words of condolences. I've had enough.

The worst part was leaving Renee behind. I love my mom, but I was the one who caused it all. She doesn't need to be reminded of it every day. She tried convincing me to stay. I told Renee it would be for the best. She can spend more time with Phil and not worry about me. She deserves what little happiness was left.

So I can't bring myself to regret my decision. Charlie's happy. Renee's relatively happy. And I will be happy, I think. If anything, I can always pretend for their sake. It worked for me in the past.

I arrived to Port Angeles around 5 p.m. and waited for Charlie to pick me up. He spotted me before I saw him. He gave me an awkward hug, took my bag (yes, only one bag), and told me to follow him. I don't think he quiet knew how to deal with me. I guess he thought I was a walking bomb, just waiting to explode. I couldn't blame him.

Without a word, I started following him. Lowering my gaze to the floor, I pushed through the crowd. I stopped once I saw our destination-a police cruiser. That's right, Charlie picked me up in his work car. I wondered if he had another vehicle. I really don't want to be driven to school in a police cruiser.

I noticed that Charlie already put my bag in the trunk and opened the front door for me. Silently I sled in and buckled up. People kept passing by and starring at me. Yea, so much for keeping a low profile.

"Bella, you know you can take a nap. We have around an hour till we get home." Charlie said, pulling out of the parking spot.

"You don't mind? " I asked.

"Not at all. It's been a long day for you. I'll wake you up when we get there."

"Okay, I'll just listed to some music"

I don't know how or when I fell asleep but the next thing I knew, Charlie was waking me up. I finally snapped out of it and looked around. Well, looks like I'll be riding in the cruiser every morning because there was no other car in the driveway.

The house seemed to be frozen in time because it looked the same. It definitely needed a fresh coat of paint. Wonder if anything changed on the inside.

Nope, still the same. The same small kitchen with the same yellow wallpaper. The living room had couple of new additions. The fireplace mantle was covered in pictures of me. I need to talk to Charlie about that. There's a particular picture from fifth grade that should not have seen the light of day. The second addition was a plasma TV. Good for you, Charlie!

"Well, Bella, here's your room. The bathroom is to your right and my room is on the left. I made some room for you in the bathroom. Hope that's enough. "

"Yea, Charl…I mean, Dad, it's fine. Thanks" Good save, Bella!

"I know your room isn't big or anything. Um…I just got the bedding. A sales woman helped me out. She said it was very teen appropriate. You like purple, right?" Charlie said nervously.

"No, Dad, it's fine. Purple is fine. Thank you" Come on, Bella. You know words other than fine_. _

"Well, I'll let you unpack. I'll be downstairs. There's a game on."

The best thing about Charlie-he doesn't hover. If that was Renee, I wouldn't hear the end of it. So I decided to make the best of my time and unpack. My room was still the same as it was when I was five. Originally, it was my nursery. Renee read somewhere that blue was a calming color and painted the room a light blue. An antique white dresser was set against the wall near the closet door. My bed was on the opposite wall. A small work desk right next to the bed. It was big enough for my laptop and couple of books. The room itself was small and cozy. I even liked the new bedding.

Unpacking didn't take much time. After all, I only brought the necessities. Hmmm…I need to go shopping soon. Just the thought of it made me shudder. It's not that I hated shopping. Shopping meant going to malls. There's just something about malls and large crowds that made me uncomfortable. And the screaming children. Yes, that must be my biggest reason for not liking malls. It looked like I had no choice this time though.

I could feel the day catching up with me. I was exhausted both physically and emotionally. Well, might as well call it a day. A yelled good night to Charlie and headed for the bed. After all, tomorrow is my first day at Forks High.


	2. Chapter 2

I've had the nightmare again. You'd think that after a year, it would go away. No such luck for me. It was the same thing over and over again. Blood. Renee. More blood. Phil. Screaming. Blood. James. At least I stopped screaming.

I looked over at the alarm clock-5:30 a.m. Great! Technically, I still had an hour before I had to get up. Of course I knew there was no way I'd be able to go back to sleep. By the sound of it, Charlie was up and about. Might as well make myself useful and make him breakfast.

After a quick trip to the bathroom, I headed downstairs. Time to rummage through the fridge. There were eggs, bacon, and milk. I found come coffee and cereal in the cupboards. Mental note to self: go grocery shopping.

I turned the coffee machine on and fried up eggs and bacon for Charlie. I was never big on breakfast so I decided on cereal for myself.

"Oh, hey Bells! I didn't think you'd be up this early. " Charlie said, coming down the stairs in his uniform. Did I mention that my dad loved calling me Bells? Stupid Jake and his stupid nickname. Of course, I wasn't going to say anything to Charlie.

"I guess I'm excited about my first day. Couldn't go back to sleep. I figured you'd appreciate some breakfast."

"Eggs and bacon. Thanks, Bells. Oh wow! This is great. I usually grab a doughnut down at the station."

"Glad you like it, dad. Listen, I'm thinking about doing some grocery shopping after school. Is there anything in particular you want?"

"Not really. Whatever you'll get will be fine. I'm not too picky. Here, this should cover it, right?" he asked pulling out some cash.

"Yea, thanks. Alright, I'm gonna go get ready for school. I'll see you later?"

"Bella, wait. There's something I need to show you. Grab a jacket, we're going outside."

I ran upstairs to grab a hoodie. Now, what in the world does he want to show me? Stepping outside I noticed something in the driveway that wasn't here last night. An old red truck. Huh, wonder why it's here.

"Well, what do you think?" Charlie asked with a huge smile. It took a second for two to finally click. This was my car!

"Wait, is that for me?"

"Yea, Bells, Billy and Jake dropped it off last night. You were asleep so I didn't want to wake you up."

"Wow! I don't know what to say. You didn't have to. It's too much, dad. I wasn't even…I mean."

"Bella, do you like it?" Charlie interrupted my ranting.

"Of course, it's perfect."

"Then it's yours. And no arguing, young lady. I won't hear it!"

"Thank you so much. I love it. I really do. Thank you!"

I put on the biggest smile I could come up with, without it looking fake. This was too much. I didn't deserve it, but there was no point of arguing with Charlie. One of the traits I inherited from him was his stubbornness. Plus, he was going out of his way to make me feel at home. The least I could do is act grateful.

"Good. Alright, honey, I have to go. Have a wonderful day at school."

"Ok. Bye, Dad."

Once I was inside the house, my smile disappeared. It's not that I didn't appreciate his kindness. I just didn't deserve it. This was what my therapist always argued with me about. After everything, I felt like I didn't deserve anyone's kindness or any happiness in my life. I said I was right; she said I was wrong. In the end, I promised that I would try to be happy and enjoy my life. She thought that a change of scenery would do me good and gave me the ok to move. At least we agreed on something. I still had to talk to her every week via video conference.

Pushing these thoughts away, I decided on making Charlie a good dinner as a thank you. Everyone loves a home cooked meal, right? Quickly cleaning up the kitchen, I realized I didn't have much time left. After a quick shower (I skipped washing my hair), I got dressed. I put on a loose fitting pair of jeans, white thermal, and my favorite blue hoodie. Before leaving my room, I made sure to put on my watch on. I didn't need any extra attention. I figured it would be better to go to school a bit early, in case I get lost looking for classes.

I ended up arriving to school a bit too early. Might as well get this over with. Thankfully, the main office wasn't hard to find. Walking in, I noticed the secretary busy reading something. I looked at the name tag – Mrs. Cope.

"Excuse me, Mrs. Cope. I'm Isabella Swan and today's my first day here"

"Oh, I'm sorry dear. I didn't expect you this early. Hold on a sec, let me get your schedule. Ah, here it is. Don't forget to give this paper to every teacher to sign and then you can turn it in tomorrow. And here's a map of the school. Good luck!"

And she went back to reading. Huh, nice welcome.

I quickly glanced over my schedule-today I had English, Algebra, Biology, and Art. Tomorrow I will have Spanish, US History, Free period, and Gym. Wow, I had a pretty good schedule, especially the free period. The only downside was gym, but I couldn't get out of it.

Going back through the parking lot, I saw that it was starting to fill up. My truck seemed to fit in with other cars on the lot. With the exception of a silver Volvo and a Jeep that were pulling up into the parking lot. I guess those must be the rich kids of Forks. I didn't even bother to look at who they were and headed for my first class.

Walking through the halls, I couldn't help but notice that everyone was staring at me. Who could blame them? I was a new kid who transferred to a school in the middle of February. I could handle the starring, I've dealt with it before. Ignoring everything around me, I walked into the classroom.

My English teacher handed me a paper that showed the workload for the rest of the semester. I've already done all of the assignments before. I guess it didn't hurt me to miss the first month of Forks High education. I'd catch up without a problem. I actually made a friend in this class-Angela. I liked her and realized right away that we would be good friends. She invited me to sit with her group at lunch. I agreed. I hated being the new kid and not having a table to sit at. Algebra was the same story, which made me happy. I was never good at math and seeing how I already knew this stuff, it would only help in the future.

Before I knew it, lunch came around. On my way to cafeteria, I met up with Angela and together, we got in line. After close inspection of the food selection, I decided on an apple and a soda. I wasn't that hungry anyways. Angela lead me to a table where I was introduced to Lauren, Jessica, Mike, Tyler, and Eric. It was easy to tell that Lauren was in charge. She just screamed "I'm popular, look at me!" She had bleached blond hair, fake nails, and a fake tan. Come on, no one gets tan in Forks. Jessica was definitely her little minion. Mike, well, he was the "player" of the group. Tyler and Eric were his sidekicks. How I know this, you might ask. I was a part of said popular group back in Phoenix.

Yep, and Angela was me- the girl who grew up with the popular kids and stayed around them. Sure, she could always go off on her own and join a different group, but what's the point if you're comfortable. At least that was my reason for staying with the same people for years.

The conversation around me kept flowing and I had no intention in joining it. Instead, I started looking around the cafeteria. And that's when I saw them. They were sitting on the opposite side of the room, away from everyone. There were five of them: two girls and three guys. What caught my attention were their looks. They belonged in a magazine somewhere and not in Forks. They were pale and looked breathtakingly beautiful, almost alien. There was a girl with jet black hair that was cut very short, but it worked for her. Next to her was a guy with longish blond hair. After him, a guy that looked too old to be in high school. Then again, it could've been his size. He was huge and muscular. Next to him was a gorgeous blond girl. To call her beautiful would be an understatement. I bet girls would kills for her looks. And finally, there was the guy with the most unusual hair color. The closest color association I would find would be copper. Yea, that's the color. And then I saw his face. He was the most gorgeous guy I had ever seen. His features were perfectly symmetrical and angular. His eyes were a light color or at least that's how they looked from here. Honestly, any description I would give him would not do him justice. There was just something about him that drew me in. It looked like they were all in deep conversation so I kept shamelessly staring at them. Suddenly, he turned and looked straight at me. I blushed and quickly broke the eye contact. Looking back at my table, I saw everyone looking at me. Of course, in my ogling, I didn't notice that the conversation at my table has died down and they were now paying attention to me.

"Oh, so I see you've spotted the Cullens." Lauren said in her annoying nasal voice.

"Who are they?" I asked, curious to find out who these beautiful people were.

"They are Dr. Cullen's kids. All adopted. From what I heard, his wife couldn't have kids and so they decided to adopt. Ok, so the one with short hair is Alice and next to her is Jasper. Then we have Emmett and Rosalie. And lastly, there's Edward. Now, you must have noticed that they are…"

And then Lauren got caught off by the bell. I quickly gathered my stuff, said good bye to Angela, and headed for the exit. I had a feeling I didn't want to hear whatever it was Lauren wanted to say. I honestly did not want to get sucked into the popular group again. I'll just worry about that tomorrow.

"Hey, Bella, wait up!"

I turned around only to see Mike running after me. Oh joy!

"What's up, Mike?"

"Listen, I know you're new in town and all. So, I thought we could hang out and I can show you around town. We can even go to Port Angeles to catch a movie. What do you say?"

I knew the only reason he asked me out was because I was a novelty. He would probably brag to his little buddies about it later. And those buddies will spread that all over the school. Half of which will probably be untrue. I've dealt with his kind before. I needed to let him know that I was not interested at all. No need to drag it out because it would only get worse.

"Mike, I'm flattered and all, but I don't think it's a good idea. You might be surprised, but I've actually been to Forks before and know all of the places. And as for movies, I'm not really a movie person. Sorry. But thanks for asking. I'll see you later." There, I think that was nice enough, but to the point.

"Well, that's ok. Maybe some other time, then. Are you headed to Biology?"

"Yes, with Mr. Banner." I said reluctantly. He just doesn't get a hint, does he?

"Me, too. Great, now we can walk together!" Mike said with a huge smile.

Dang it, why couldn't he leave me alone? At least, we were almost there. I let him go in first and headed towards the teacher's desk. I still had to get that form signed.

"Ah, Ms. Swan. Let me sign that for you. And here's your book. Now, you are sitting by Mr. Cullen."

Mr. Cullen? Please don't let it be Edward, please don't let it be Edward. I turned around to get a look at who it was. Ah, crap! It is him. He was currently looking down at his notebook and I figured it was my chance to look at him again. Yep, still the most gorgeous guy I've ever seen. Seeing him closer, I could now tell that he had a straight nose and full lips. As if sensing my stare, he looked up. I was now looking at the most interesting eyes-they were butterscotch color and made me feel warm. Huh, weird. I've never had that reaction before.

"Ms. Swan, hurry up and take a seat." Mr. Banner said irritation evident in his voice.

I blushed, realizing that I've been caught, looked at Mr. Banner and mouthed I'm sorry. Quickly composing myself, I looked back at Edward and gave him a small smile. He was now watching me with a look of confusion and frustration on his face. Wonder what got into him. On my way to the seat, I passed by a fan. You would think that it wouldn't do anything to anyone, but apparently it did something to Edward. He grew tense and his eyes suddenly darkened. It wasn't the color of his eyes that scared me, but the emotion behind them. Hate, very strong hate. I've seen it once before and it was such a raw emotion that it brought back my darkest memories. His eyes transformed into ice blue and his hair became blond. Suddenly, I was no longer looking at Edward but at James. Panic filled every fiber of my being and I did the only thing I could- I ran.

I barely heard Mr. Banner shouting something, but I couldn't stop. I knew where I had to go because I made sure I memorized how to get to nurse's office from any of my classes. While on my way there, my breathing became more labored, a sure sign of panic attack. I slammed through the office doors only to find it empty. There was no one here and no one to help me. My breathing became shallow and I collapsed to the floor. I had to calm down or it would get worse. And then I heard it.

"Oh my goodness! Are you ok? What a stupid question. Of course you're not ok. Crap. I'm sorry. Ok. Just calm down and keep breathing. I'll get someone." A musical voice kept rambling.

"No…Stay." Was all I could get out.

And so she did. She got down to the floor, kept rubbing my arm and whispering words of reassurance. Eventually, I got my breathing to even out and opened my eyes. Starring at me was Alice Cullen.

Suddenly, the doors slammed open and a nurse walked in. She saw me on the floor and went into protection mode.

"Oh, sweetie, let's get you off of the floor. Can you tell me what happened?"

"I think she's having a panic attack. I stayed with her and she seems to have calmed down." Alice answered instead of me. For that I was grateful.

The nurse quickly pointed me to the small bed and told me to lie down. Alice disappeared after that and I didn't get a chance to tell her thank you. The nurse kept hovering over me, making sure that I was alright. She was finally satisfied and let me be. I'm not sure how long I was lying there, but the next thing I know, Charlie was coming through the doors.

"Bella! Are you ok? What happened? Did someone hurt you?" I could tell that Charlie was scared.

"Dad, I'm fine. I had a panic attack in Biology. I'm ok now. Calm down." I didn't need him freaking out over nothing.

"I already talked to Mrs. Cope and you can go home. Let me get your bag."

Charlie took my bag and started leading me out of the nurse's office. I was glad that I didn't have to stay in school for the rest of the day. I really didn't want to deal with anyone right now. Of course, I'm sure everyone would hear about the incident by the end of the day. After all, Mike was in the same classroom.

"Bells, I'm gonna drive you home. You can leave your car in the parking lot and I'll drop you off at school tomorrow morning. " Charlie said in the tone of voice that meant not arguing. He forgot that I was his daughter after all. I could hold my own when it came to stubbornness.

"Dad, listen, I am more than capable to drive myself home."

"Bella, you just had a panic attack. I mean, I'm sure they don't want you driving around in your condition." I knew he meant well, but the way he said it just set me off.

"My condition, dad? It's just a panic attack not a mental breakdown. I'm fine. Ok? Don't treat me like a child. I hate that!" I was yelling at this point but I didn't care. All of the stress of the day just got to me and Charlie was the unfortunate receiver of it all. I noticed that we were now standing by his cruiser and it was drizzling. I looked over to Charlie and saw that he had a hurt expression on his face. Crap, going to need to do some damage control.

"Dad, I'm sorry for yelling at you. You didn't deserve it. I was just stressed out about today and I guess it caught up with me. Either way, I'm fine to drive, trust me. " I tried giving him the best puppy dog eyes. Yep, it still worked on him.

"Ok, Bells. I'll let this one slide this time. I'll see you at home."

With that, he handed me my bag and drove off. That went well. Now I have to make "Thank you for the car/I'm sorry I'm a horrible daughter" dinner. Stupid Bella. Walking over to my car, I saw someone in the silver Volvo. Scratch that, there were two people in the car and they were arguing. Looking closer, I recognized them: Edward and Alice. I realized they probably heard me arguing with Charlie. At this point, I didn't care. They seemed caught up in whatever they were talking about.

I finally made it to the car and got in. Slowly pulling out, I felt someone's eyes on me. Looking in my rearview mirror, I saw Alice walk out of the car and Edward staring at me. He still wore a confused expression on his face. I didn't have the energy to deal with him today so I figured I'd talk to him tomorrow. With that thought I headed home.

Once inside, I noticed a pizza box on the kitchen table. I guess I don't have to worry about dinner today. Not that I could make anything, I've yet to go grocery shopping. Charlie was sitting on the couch, watching some show. He told me about pizza and went back to watching TV. Yep, definitely need to apologize some more.

I grabbed a slice of pizza and went up to my room to change into my favorite sweats and a long sleeved shirt. I powered up my laptop and checked my email-one message from Renee:

_My sweet girl,_

_I got a phone call from Charlie. He let me know that you've made it to Forks safely and went to school today. He also mentioned your new car and your reaction to it. Now, sweetie, I know we've been through this many times, but it seems I've never said these words to you: I love you and I don't blame you for anything that happened to me or Phil. It's not your fault, no matter what you say. I want you to be a normal teenager and enjoy your life. You deserve to be happy and to be loved. I'm sorry I wasn't able to show you that in the past year. I beg you, Isabella, please live your life to the fullest. Let go of all of this guilt you carry with you. It hurts me so much to see you suffer. I said it before and I will say it again: it wasn't your fault. Please believe me. I love you with all of my heart and I hope you will listen to me. I will be here when you're ready to talk. _

_With all my love,_

_Mom_

By the time I got to the last sentence, I was crying my eyes out. I kept reading her email over and over again. And then I had an epiphany. It didn't matter that my therapist told me this many times. Hearing it from Renee finally sunk in-it wasn't my fault. And by carrying my guilt with me I was hurting the people I loved. They deserved better and I vowed to become a better daughter to Charlie and Renee.

With this new conviction, I headed downstairs to call Renee. We apologized to one another, cried and laughed together, and by the end of the conversation I knew we would be ok. Charlie was next. I apologized to him again, even though he said it was unnecessary, but I knew better. With this big weight lifted off my chest, I went back to my room and worked on homework. When it was time to call it a night, I felt a lot better. Tomorrow would be a better day, I could feel it.


	3. Chapter 3

Waking up, I knew that today would be a good day. I was finally ready to try and live a normal life. A part of me was still feeling guilty but I wouldn't let it rule my life anymore. It wasn't wrong for me to enjoy life to the fullest. That though alone made me smile.

By the time I got ready and came downstairs, Charlie had gone to work. I dialed his work number and let him know that I will be going to the grocery store after school. He thanked me for calling and wished me good luck in school. Yea, I would need it today.

By the time I've made it to school, parking lot was pretty filled up. I saw that the silver Volvo was nowhere to be seen. Maybe he was running late today. I decided to hang around my truck for a little bit. Maybe I would catch him before class and talk about yesterday. A few minutes later, a Jeep pulled up and the four of them exited the car. Huh, maybe he's running very late. I'm sure I'll see him later today, no need to be late to class. The rest of the morning passed by uneventful. Don't get me wrong, there were whispers of what happened yesterday but I chose to ignore it. Lunchtime was when it all went down.

I got in line for food again and saw that the people I was sitting with yesterday were sitting at the same table. Angela motioned for me to come sit with them. I also noticed Cullens sitting at their table, only Edward was missing. This was my chance to thank Alice. Without a second thought, I made my way to their table. Surprise was written all over their faces.

"Hi Alice." I figured I should start the conversation

"Hi Bella. How are you?"

"I'm good, thanks. " I was contemplating the right way of saying thank you when Alice spoke up again.

"I'm sorry, Bella, I'm being rude. Let me introduce you to everyone. This is Jasper," she said pointing to the blond guy sitting next to her. "That's Emmett and Rosalie. Everyone, this is Bella."

I smiled at the three of them. Jasper gave me a small smile, while Emmett had this huge grin on his face. Rosalie, on the other hand, just looked at me and went back to doing whatever it was she was doing. I guess that's all I would get out of her.

"Listen, Alice, I wanted to thank you for helping me yesterday. It really means a lot to me."

"Not a problem. I'm glad I was able to help. You kind of scared me, though. I wasn't sure what was happening to you at first."

"Yea, it wasn't the best way of making the first impression. Believe me, I'm not always like that." I tried to lighten up the mood.

"Well, at least it was memorable." She joked.

"Anyways, thank you again. And I'll see you around. It was nice meeting all of you." And with that I left them alone. I figured I shouldn't bug them too much.

Heading back to the table where Angela was sitting, I noticed everyone having a heated conversation. Mike noticed my approach first and greeted me. Lauren was next to speak up.

"Bella, since you're new and all, I forgive you."

"Forgive me? For what exactly?" I asked confused.

"You were talking to Cullens. You see, I didn't get to finish my story yesterday. Like I said, you see how they are sitting in couples? Well, yea, they are dating. Alice and Jasper are together and so are Emmett and Rose. Now, if you ask me that is so wrong. I mean, what are their parents thinking?" She was talking a bit louder now. I'm sure she wanted Cullens to hear her.

"Lauren, it's not like they are related." Angela tried defending them.

"Still, they live under one roof. Seriously, they are freaks! So my point is, Bella, if you want to be a part of our group, you will not talk, smile, or even look at Cullens. Got it?" Lauren said, looking straight at me.

By the end of her little tirade, my blood began to boil. How dare she?

"Lauren, sweetie," I started out in a sweet voice " Alice has been extremely nice to me, which is more than I can say for you. No one asked you for your opinion. Who do you think you are, judging others? I'm sorry to break it you but there's a place where no one cares if you're popular or not: it's called the real world. Maybe you've heard of it? No? Well, you're in for a big treat. So you know what, you can take your stupid popularity and stick it up your ass!" I smugly smiled at her and then looked at Angela "Angela, I'm sorry. You've been nothing but nice to me. My comments don't apply to you. I hope we can still be friends."

And with that, I walked away from them. Only then did I notice that the cafeteria was dead silent. Everyone looked shocked. So I just kept walking towards the exit. I passed by Cullens and saw Rosalie actually smiling at me. Huh, interesting. And then the whole cafeteria broke out into laughter. I turned around to see everyone pointing and laughing at Lauren and her group. I guess I was the first one to put her in her place. I also noticed that Angela was no longer at their table. Maybe I did more good than I thought. She was too good for that group anyways. As I was walking out of the cafeteria, I heard my name called out in a shrill voice. I didn't need to turn around to know who it was so I kept walking. I would've flipped Lauren off but there were teachers present.

As usual I wasn't paying attention to where I was going and the next thing I knew, I hit a wall. At least I thought it was a wall. Once my behind landed safely on the floor, I looked up. Standing in front of me was Emmett. Of course, he was laughing his butt off. I just groveled and got up from the floor.

"I'm sorry, Bella, but this is the funniest thing I've seen. I'll stop laughing, I promise."

And yet he was still laughing. I mean I get it, it's funny when people fall but it hurt.

"I'm glad my pain makes you laugh, Emmett. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get to the library."

"Aw, Bella, don't be like that. It's just people tend to avoid me at all costs. It's kind of refreshing to have some human contact outside of my family. See, I'm not laughing anymore. But in all seriousness, are you ok? I didn't hurt you, did I?"

Now he was all concerned. I could pretend I had an injury but he was too adorable.

"No, Emmett, you didn't hurt me. This happens quiet often, seeing how I'm a klutz. So, no hard feelings. "

"Great! I'll see you around then." With that, he ruffled my hair and headed towards the cafeteria.

I quickly smoothed my hair out and headed in the direction of the library. I had a free period after lunch and figured I'd do my homework so I would have my evening free. Still had to go to the grocery store and make that dinner.

Gym was torture. I tried getting out of playing volleyball, but the Coach wouldn't listen. So yea, I was hit with some balls. And then I hit some people. Not on purpose, of course. That's what I was trying to explain to the teacher. I was worried about other people's safety. And he still made me play. Hey, at least I warned him.

The trip to the grocery store went by without any incidents. I think I've filled my quota of excitement for one day. I decided on making lasagna for Charlie. I just popped it into the over to keep it warm when I heard his car pull up. He has impeccable timing. I already tossed a salad and it was waiting on the table.

To say that Charlie was excited about dinner would be an understatement. He ate the first serving of lasagna and asked for more. I was more than happy to oblige. As long as Charlie was happy, I was happy. It looked like we would be ok. After dinner, he told me that Billy invited us over to dinner on Friday night. I was definitely looking forward to that. I'd get to see Jake! Apparently, Seth and Leah were also coming. That was a reunion I was extremely excited about.

The rest of the week went without any problems. Of course, every day I was hoping to see Edward to I could talk to him about Biology. And every day I would be disappointed. I was starting to get a bit worried towards the end of the week. Was he ok? Did he get sick? I mean, why else would he miss so many days of school. On the brighter note, I found a new table to sit at. At first, I thought that no one was sitting there, but after a few minutes I heard someone clear their throat. I looked up to see shy looking boy standing in front of me. I apologized for taking his seat but he said it was fine. We exchanged introductions-his name was Ben. The next day, Angela joined us. I could tell right away that she had a thing for Ben. I introduced them to each other and they informed me that they already knew each other. They went off into their own little world, leaving me to myself. I really didn't mind. I caught up on my reading during lunch.

It was finally Friday! I was almost running to my car when Alice called my name.

"Hey, Bella! I know you're in a hurry so I'll make this short. I'm going to Port Angeles tomorrow to do some shopping. I was wondering if you would like to come along."

She had that hopeful gleam in her eyes and I couldn't say no to her. Plus, I've noticed that Alice always wore the cutest outfits. Maybe she could help me out. So I agreed. She let out a high pitched squeal and I could've sworn she started bouncing a little bit. I was informed to be ready by 9.

On my drive home, I got overly giddy. Not only would I see my old gang tonight but I was also becoming friends with Alice. She was such a ball of energy that I knew I would have fun with her. Pulling into the driveway, I saw that Charlie was already home. I ran upstairs to freshen up and once I got downstairs, we left the house. I had a huge grin on my face all the way La Push. Charlie just laughed at my excitement. The moment the car stopped, I yanked the door open and saw Jacob standing by the garage. I squealed like an immature girl that I was and launched myself at him. I jumped into his arm with full force earning a big huff out of him. I wrapped my legs around his waist and my arms around his neck and gave him a big squeeze. I heard Billy and Charlie laughing somewhere but all I cared about was Jacob.

"Hey Bells. I see you've missed me." Jacob chuckled.

"Where did you get that idea? I always greet everyone like this. Now be a dear and put me down."

"You know, Jacob, if I didn't know any better, I would feel jealous," I turned my head to see Leah standing by the cruiser. "Then again, I know better."

I squealed again, which caused Jacob to drop me on the ground. Good thing I landed on my feet. The moment I felt solid ground, I ran towards Leah. I hugged her with all of my might and together we started jumping and screaming.

"Wow, you girls should've warned me. I forgot my earplugs."

I looked towards the direction of the new voice and saw Seth. At least I thought it was Seth.

"Seth, is that you?"

"Who else would it be? Or did you forget all about me, Bella? That hurts, you know." He said, feigning hurt.

I greeted him the same way I did Jacob. I figured he could take it. And in the middle of our greetings, Billy came out and told us to come inside.

"Hey Billy! What have you been feeding these boys? They grew so much. I mean, they are freakishly tall. It's a bit unsettling." I joked. He just chuckled at me.

"It's not our fault you are a midget, Bells." Jacob said.

"Hey! I resent that. If you must know, I'm an average height. There is nothing wrong with that. Now you on the other hand, are a different story." Take that, Jacob Black!

"I would be offended, Bells, but since you're such a short little thing, I forgive you."

And so the night continued with us taking stabs at one another. I think our dads enjoyed it too much. Around midnight, Charlie decided to call it a night. I said my goodbyes and promised to visit more often. I was now very glad to be back in Forks. Once we made it home, I decided to talk to Charlie for a little bit.

"Thank you so much for taking me tonight, Dad. I haven't laughed this hard in a while." I told him. I knew he'd be happy to hear that.

"That's great honey. It's good to see you laugh. You have no idea how good. The old Bella is finally coming back."

"Yea, it feels good, too. I was actually surprised that Jacob and Leah are dating. Didn't see that one coming."

"Well, after Harry died, Leah kind of shut down. It hit her really hard. You know how close she was to her father. Jacob took it upon himself to take care of her. And it was history after that."

"That's Jacob for you. Always taking care of everyone. I'm really happy for them though. Now that I think about it, they belong together," I glanced over to the clock on the wall. "Oh wow, I really should go to bed. I'm not sure if I told you this but I'm going to Port Angeles with Alice Cullen tomorrow. I hope that's ok."

"Sure. Alice is a great kid. All of the Cullens are. We're lucky to have Carlisle at our hospital. I only wish that some of the folks wouldn't be hostile towards them. Alright, sweet dreams, Bells."

I never liked shopping before but shopping with Alice would be fun. I couldn't wait.


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning, I was ready by 8:55 and was patiently waiting for Alice. She showed up at exactly 9 am. My jaw dropped when I saw her car. It was a tiny thing, in canary yellow. I was pretty sure the car cost a fortune. I made a mental note to ask her what she was driving. I said goodbye to Charlie and ran out the door. I hopped into the front seat and greeted Alice. She looked extremely hyper and was bouncing in her seat. I knew I didn't imagine it the other day. She told me that her baby was a 911 Porsche Turbo. When I asked her how she knew I wanted to know, she simply pointed out that she saw me gawking at the car. That shut me up.

Our drive to Port Angeles was filled with mindless chatter. Halfway into the drive, I finally found the guts to ask about Edward. I mean, the boy had missed the whole week of school.

"He has some issues he's dealing with right now. A sort of a family emergency." She said, sounding a bit surprised.

"Wait, I thought you guys were adopted?" I blurted out before thinking. Great job, Bella. She'll probably think you're an idiot now.

"That's true, but we do have extended families. We visit them once in a while. In Edward's case, something happened to a distant relative and he had to go help out. I don't know the whole story."

"And your parent are ok with that?"

"Carlisle and Esme are very compassionate and understanding parents. Our family is very unique, I'm sure you've heard enough from Lauren. I mean, most people don't understand our situation. I think you're the first person who stood up for us. It was very sweet of you to tell Lauren off. Usually people just stay out of it."

"It was the least I could do. You guys don't deserve to be treated like that. Plus, I think Lauren had it coming for a while now. I'm just glad I was the one to do it." I said with a smile.

"You know, I'm actually surprised you asked about Edward. From what I hear, you two got off the wrong foot."

"That would be an understatement. I'm not sure if I did something to offend him ,but the way he looked at me made me think he hated me." I shuddered, remembering his eyes.

"You didn't do anything, Bella. Like I told you, he's dealing with a lot. Still, you noticed he was gone." She kept pushing me. I knew that and I figured honesty would be best.

"Well, it's kind of hard not to. He's my lab partner in Biology. Do you have any idea when he's coming back?" Crap that last part sounded like I was missing him.

"Trust me, Bella, you'll know when he's back." Alice said with a knowing smile. Before I could question her about that, she stopped the car. I saw that we were at the mall. Alright, let the fun begin!

Why oh why did I ever agree to shopping with Alice? Who would've thought that such a small girl could be so pushy! She handed me couple of items, which I liked by the way, and I tried them on. Only once I saw the price tag, I told her I couldn't afford them. She told me to not worry about it, she would buy them for me. I tried arguing but it didn't help one bit. So I gave in and let her buy them. It didn't stop there. She kept pulling things off of the racks once she figured out my size. I tried to stop her but she told me that if I kept complaining, she would get more stuff. That most definitely shut me up. In the middle of her shopping spree my stomach started growling. Alice told me to go to the food court and get some food. She would meet me there once she was done.

I went up to a Chinese take -out and got teriyaki chicken with rice. I didn't realize how hungry I was until I cleaned off the plate in mere minutes. I went to throw the trash out and when I got back to the table, Alice was sitting there with ten bags in her hands.

"Alice, sweetie, please tell me that those are for you." I said, gulping.

"Of course they are for me, silly." I smiled, relieved. "I put yours in the car." My jaw hit the floor again. Evil pixie!

We decided to call it a day and head back home. Alice wanted to stop by her house first and I was in no position to argue. She turned off onto a small dirt road and then turned left into a driveway. If it was me driving, I would've missed it. Forest surrounded the road on both sides and then a huge opening came into the view. In the middle, a house was standing. For the third time in one day, my mouth hung open. The house was colonial style, covered in brick. It was two story high. A garage was attached to the left side of the house. The landscaping was done in a simple manner, but it suited the overall look.

"Home, sweet home." Alice sang. "Well, come on, Bella. You're not going to sit in the car, are you?"

"Welcome to our humble adobe!" I had to laugh at that. This was anything but humble.

I walked inside and looked around. To the right was a staircase and to the left a big living room. The walls were painted white and white couches occupied the room. The accents were done in dark colors. It looked very modern and elegant. They must have spent a fortune on the interior decorator.

"Esme did all of the decorations. She's very passionate about it. This and gardening. I'll give you a tour of the first floor. I need to return you back to Charlie soon, before he freaks out. Ok so, on the left side, we have living room, which you saw, kitchen and dining room. And on the right, there's a sitting room and a music room. There's also an indoor pool and sun room."

"Is anyone home? I don't want to disturb them."

"Don't worry about that. Let's see…Carlisle's working late and Esme told me she'd go to visit him. Emmett and Rosalie are on a date. And Jasper is in the library. Something about a test coming up and needing total silence in order to study. I don't know why he couldn't study here. But that's beside the point. Shall we?" Alice was so cute when she rambled.

She showed me the kitchen next. The walls were white and the cabinets a dark wood. Countertops were done in white marble. It felt very airy and welcoming. The dining room was done in the same fashion: dark wood table and white chairs. I loved it.

We then went to the right side of the house. I could see the change in the style. The sitting room was done in warm tones. The walls were painted in very soft custard color and had crown molding. The couches were beige and there was a side table made out of dark wood and a glass coffee table between two couches. And there was a fireplace. Next was the music room. More like a piano room. There was a large grand baby piano sitting in the middle of the room. To the side, there were two couches and two armchairs. On the wall, there was a built in shelf with a whole lot of books. And yet another fireplace. It looked like it hasn't been used though. The room also had a floor to ceiling window. Come to think of it, most of their rooms had huge windows. I guess they liked natural light.

I walked over to the piano and ran my fingers through the keys. It was a beautiful instrument. I voiced my thought.

"It is. Edward spends hours playing it." Alice said, waiting for my reaction.

"Hmm. Is he any good?" I wondered out loud.

"He's thinks he's good." I smiled at her playful tone. "I say, he's brilliant. Then again, I'm his sister." Her smile lit up the room.

She then led me to the pool and the sun room. The two rooms combined took up the length of the house. The décor for both room went back to the modern style. The pool area was painted in white, with black and white furniture. The pool itself was more like a lap pool only a bit wider. At the top of the wall was a series of small windows. I guess they wanted privacy.

The sun room was pretty much a huge room with glass walls. It had an amazing view of the forest in the backyard. It had black leather furniture, white rug, and a glass coffee table. I'm sure it would be amazing to be in this room during sunrise.

"Wow, Alice. You have an amazing house. Esme has impeccable taste." I said in awe.

"Trust me, you haven't seen my room yet. But that's for another time. Let's get you home."

She parked on the side of the road and let me get out of the car. She popped open the trunk and kept handing me bags. At first, I thought she was going through her bags in order to get to mine. Nope, I was wrong.

"Alice, these are all mine?" I asked in horror. This was too much.

"Bella, trust me, that's nothing. I just wanted to buy you a few things. I have a feeling we're going to be very good friends. And that's what friends do-they help each other out."

I was about to argue with her when she pulled the best puppy dog eyes. My resolve was slowly crumbling. And then she added a pout. That did it for me. I just thanked her and took the bags. Bidding her good night, I went in the house.

"Oh my goodness, Bells. Did you buy out the whole mall?" Charlie asked in surprise.

"No, dad. But Alice was very close to it. Apparently I should be grateful she didn't buy more. Her words, not mine."

"Wait, she paid for all of this?"

"Yea, and believe me, I tried to stop her. No matter what I did, she wouldn't listen."

"Wow, I never thought she would be such a stubborn little thing."

"You have no idea. I had to spend a whole day with her. Alright, I'm going upstairs to put all of this away. Good night, dad."

I threw all of the items on the bed and started going through them. Five pairs of flats in the following colors: purple, yellow, red, metallic grey, and black. Two pairs of boots: one leather and one suede. One trench coat in green and one pea coat in mustard. Crap she saw me looking at them. I really liked those two. Three pairs of dark wash jeans: one skinny leg and two straight cut. So that's why she put different styles on me. Evil pixie! One grey sweater dress, yellow, dark blue, and white sweaters, and six more long sleeved shirts. Oh I was going to have a little talk with her on Monday. She was lucky she took all of the receipts away because I would return all of this stuff. It's not that I didn't like all of the items. I actually loved every piece. None of them were too crazy. Plus, I have to give her credit, she didn't buy me any heels. Have to thank her for that. Regardless, Alice was getting a piece of my mind, even if I was wearing one of her fabulous outfits.


	5. Chapter 5

Monday morning came and I was trying to figure out what to wear. Alice bought me so many items and I wanted to wear them all. Before making a decision, I went downstairs to check on the weather. It was actually cold out and I knew right away what I would wear. I chose a charcoal striped shirt (the cut was a bit low so I put on a tank top underneath), straight cut jeans, and grey flats. My finishing touch was the mustard pea coat. I really loved this coat. It was my little ray of sunshine in gloomy Forks. I put my hair up in a messy bun and went downstairs. As usual, Charlie left for work. I grabbed a granola bar and my bag and headed out.

Upon my arrival, I noticed Alice standing by the Jeep. The rest of the Cullens were nowhere to be seen. Wonder if Edward's back. Wait, did I just think what I think I thought? Confusing, I know. Shaking my head, I went towards Alice. She had a huge smile on her face. Boy, was she in for a surprise.

"Good morning, Bella!" She chirped.

"Alice. I think we need to talk." I was determined to make my point!

"Oh, is something wrong the items I bought?" She knew why I wanted to talk to her and yet she played the innocent card

"There's nothing wrong with the items. It's the number of items that I'm not happy about. Seriously, Alice, you bought me a whole wardrobe!" The last part came out a bit louder than I intended and couple of people looked back at us.

"Bella, I'm really glad you liked all of the things I bought. It warms my heart to see you wear them today. No need to thank me. I can see it in your eyes." And with that, she walked away.

I just stood there like an idiot, looking at her retrieving form.

"This is far from over, Alice!" I yelled. She just waived me off. Well that didn't go as planned.

All throughout the day, I was told how nice I looked and how lovely the coat was. Blah, blah, blah. Just shoot me now. Of course, being a nice person, I just smiled and thanked them. Freaking Alice and her shopping addiction. I decided to attempt round number two at lunch. I quickly grabbed some questionable looking item and headed towards her table. And there she was, all smiling innocently.

"Oh, hello, Bella. What brings you here?" Oh, she was good.

"Alice, sweetie, I didn't get to finish my speech this morning before you rudely walked off. Like I was saying, I am grateful but please, do not, under any circumstances, do a repeat of Saturday ever again, ok?"

I heard a low chuckle from Emmett and shot him a death glare. That shut him up. Of course, then Jasper snickered. He got a dose of angry Bella stare. What surprised me the most was that Rosalie starting laughing. I just looked at her like she was crazy. She finally calmed down and I turned back to Alice. I was hoping to see some sort of repentance or regret on her face-nothing. Huh, I guess this will be harder that I thought.

"I'll make a deal with you, Bella. From now on, when we go shopping, you will have a say in what I buy, ok? And I don't mean limiting the number of items, just the style and color."

Was she joking? What did she mean by when. Like I would ever go through that ever again. Before I could respond, Jasper spoke up.

"Trust me, Bella, this is as good as it gets. I would take what she's offering while you can."

"Ok, fine. Deal. I'm not happy about it, though!"

"Oh, I don't need you to be happy. I just need your agreement. Thanks!"

Dang it, she was so much better at this. With a huff, I started walking away.

"Bye, Bella!" Alice called sweetly.

So I turned my head towards her and did the only mature thing I could-I poked my tongue out. Their whole table burst out laughing. I smiled and went on my way to my table.

All in all, I was having a good Monday. I was actually surprised to see that Lauren and her gang didn't bother me anymore. Not even Mike. I guess he got the point.

Tuesday passed by and Wednesday came around. It started out as any other day. Edward was still a no show. Every day I would hope to see his silver Volvo only to be disappointed. It was really bugging me at this point. I know Alice said that he had some issues to deal with, but I couldn't help thinking that it had something to do with me. I knew it was a stupid feeling but I kept thinking about it. Maybe I did do something wrong and Alice was too nice to mention anything. I think it was around this time that I realized that I was constantly thinking of Edward. Was I becoming obsessed with him? I mean, he didn't even utter a single word to me and here I am thinking of him. On the other hand, I wasn't thinking about James anymore. The nightmares were still there but I no longer thought of that day all the time.

Anyways, Wednesday. Like I said, it started out the same. I went to classes, talked to Angela, stood in line for food. And then, the unthinkable happened. I was walking to my usual table that I shared with Ben and Angela. I was about to sit down when someone cleared their throat. I looked up to see Rosalie Cullen standing in front of me.

"Hey Bella. So Alice and I were wondering if you would like to sit with us today. If that's ok with Angela and Ben." She gave them a sweet smile.

I just kept looking at her like she had three heads. I mean, the girl doesn't talk to me and then all of the sudden, she's inviting me to sit together at lunch!

"Of course we don't mind. I'm sure Bella would love to sit with you and Alice." Angela kindly kicked me under the table. I nodded, picked up my tray, and followed Rosalie.

"Bella, I know we kind of got off on a wrong foot. I want to apologize for that. It takes me a little while to warm up to new people. And I wanted to thank you for standing up for me and my family. No one has ever done that and it was extremely nice of you to do that, especially since you didn't know us. I don't expect you to accept me right away but I do hope we can be friends eventually."

Did she just say that? Ok, Bella, stop being rude and answer her.

"Rosalie, I would really like to be friends with you. And like I told Alice, it was no problem at all. I only did what anyone should have done in the given situation. "

By the time I finished my little speech, we reached their table. I greeted everyone and sat down. The conversation flowed easily between everyone. We kept laughing at Emmett's jokes and tales of great pranks. I could tell how close they were. It was amazing to see them interact with each other. I commented on how little they are and was told that Esme loved cooking. Apparently, breakfast was a big deal at their house. When the bell rang, I was asked to sit with them from now on. Seeing how Ben and Angela were together now, I agreed. So the next day I sat with them again. And again on Friday. During my time with them, I found out that Emmett was a big kid at heart. He loved it when I did clumsy stuff. I promised I would do it more often around him. He was just so adorable when he laughed. Jasper was a bit more on the reserved side. He was also a Civil War buff. We got into a long conversation on Friday. I was speechless at his recollection of facts and details. If I didn't know any better, I'd say he was actually there during the war. Crazy thought, I know.

When I got home, Charlie informed me that Jake called. He gave me the number and I called Jake right away. There was a bonfire happening tonight and he wanted me to come. I quickly asked Charlie if that was alright with him, which it was, and told Jake I'd be there shortly. I went upstairs to change into one of the outfits Alice got for me. I decided on a grey and white shirt, skinny jeans, leather boots (suede ones wouldn't last long in the mud), and my blue hoodie. The outfit turned out to be cute and comfortable. Just the way I liked them.

Grabbing my purse, I said good bye to Charlie and drove to La Push. I parked at Billy's and was greeted by Leah. Apparently, boys were helping out. So the two of us headed down to the First beach. When we got there, the party was in the full swing. There were quite a few bonfires along the shore. A whole bunch of kids were running around and screaming. This brought back memories of my summers spent at La Push. I couldn't help smiling.

"I was just thinking about our summers together. Those were the days, right?" Leah spoke my thoughts out loud.

"Me too. We were inseparable back then. And all the trouble we got in. Makes me want to go back in time and just freeze it on those days."

"Leah! Bella! Get over here!" Jacob yelled.

"You know, your boyfriend is very impatient, Leah." I joked.

"Yea, well, I still love him."

We walked over to where Jacob was. Seth was there and some more guys I didn't recognize.

"Bella, I would like you to meet Sam and Paul. Guys, this is Bella." Jacob did the introduction.

"Hey guys! Nice to meet you."

I got a nod out of them and then Sam disappeared somewhere. I later saw him with some girl.

"Hey, aren't you the infamous girl who started screaming and crying at one of these things?" Paul asked.

I looked at him, a bit confused. I mean, I haven't been to these things in ages, how would he know. Unless…no, he was here back then?

"Yea, when I was like five. I didn't think people would remember it still." I replied, blushing from embarrassment.

"Oh, trust me, you're a legend around these parts. I mean, you were the first one to scream during the retelling of the legend. People tend to remember those things." Paul said in the matter of fact tone.

"What legend was it exactly?" At this point I was curious to find out. For some reason I couldn't remember what scared me so bad.

"The legend of the Cold Ones."

"That doesn't sound that bad. You sure that's the right one?"

"Yea, of course I remember. And why wouldn't it be bad. After all, it's about vampires."

"Okay, you have my attention. Do tell." I was beyond curious now.

"Eh, I don't remember it well enough. It was nice meeting you, Bella." And he walked away.

"Paul, you can't just leave me hanging like that. Paul!"

Now I was upset. I really wanted to hear this legend again. I wanted to know why I got so scared back then. So I turned to Jacob and gave him my best puppy dog eyes. He just shook his head. So I went all Alice on him-I did the pout. He couldn't say no to that.

"Okay, fine! I'll tell you. Just stop doing that."

Never underestimate the power of puppy dog eyes and a pout, ladies and gentlemen.

Jacob led us to a log by one of the bonfires and began his tale.

"Our people have many legends. I will focus on two of them, seeing how they are tied in together. The first one tells of our lineage. It is believed that the Quileutes descended from wolves. They are considered our brothers and to this day, we are forbidden to kill them. The other legend talks about a different tribe, the Cold Ones. It is said that my great- grandfather made a treaty with them when he found them hunting on our land. See, the Cold Ones are considered the natural enemies of the wolves. But this particular tribe claimed to be different. They promised that they weren't dangerous to our people. And so the treaty was created. They were to keep to their side of the treaty line and we would keep to ours. And the wolves became the protectors of the pale faces, making sure the Cold Ones stuck to their word. And that's the legend of the Cold Ones. Thank for listening." He took a bow and sat down next to Leah.

"So what you're saying is, your great-grandfather made a treaty with vampires?" I kept pressing on.

"Bella, these are just stories. We're not really wolves. At least I don't think so. I mean, I look pretty human, right?" Jacob asked, pretending to look worried.

"Yea, Jake, you're as human as it gets." I said reassuringly. I guess I could see how a five year old would get scared with these stories of wolves and Cold Ones. For the rest of the evening, we laughed and recalled stories of our childhood together. By the time I made it home, I was exhausted. I knew I would spend Saturday and Sunday catching up on school work and talking to my doctor. And for some reason, I was excited about Monday.


	6. Chapter 6

I woke up with a feeling of butterflies in my stomach. I wasn't sure what that was all about. I knew I wasn't planning anything, unless Alice was scheming again. Pushing those feelings aside, I got ready for the day. I was meeting with Angela before school today. She needed help with an essay in English and I already finished mine. I figured I could help her out a bit. After all, she was the only person, outside Cullens, that spoke to me.

We decided to meet up in the library and worked on her paper until the first bell rang. Throughout the morning, I kept hearing whispers that mentioned Cullen last name. I figured people were still hung up on the whole relationship dynamic and chose to ignore them. By lunchtime, everything went back to normal. I made my way to my usual table and saw that Edward was a no show yet again. This would be the third week he was missing school. What kind of crap was he dealing with? I made sure my disappointment didn't show through as I took my seat. Jasper pulled me into another one of his stories and before I knew it, lunch was over. I gathered my stuff and headed for the exit.

"Have fun in Biology, Bella!" Emmett's booming voice carried over the whole room. I turned around to look at him. He never said anything about Biology before, why would he say anything now? And that huge grin on his face didn't make it any less suspicious. Oh well, I guess it was Emmett being Emmett.

When I walked into the classroom, I understood Emmett's comment. Sitting in his seat was none other than Edward Cullen. My heart sped up a bit and butterflies invaded my stomach yet again. Why was I reacting like that? And he had a smirk on his face, as if he knew what he was doing to me. Did he?

I took my seat and looked at the clock-five more minutes until class begins.

"Hi, I know I didn't get a chance to introduce myself before. I'm…"

"I know who you are, Edward." I cut him off.

"Of course you do. You're friends with Alice." I heard a smile in his voice. I still refused to look at him, choosing to focus on the front of the room instead.

"And with Rose, Emmett, and Jasper. I'm also friends with Angela." I said, turning to face him. "Did I miss anyone?"

"No, I think you got everyone covered. Although I'm surprised you didn't mention Lauren and her little followers." I gave him a confused look. "I saw you sitting with them at lunch on the first day." He shot me a dazzling smile. I lost my train of thought and kept staring at him. His smile got wider. I shook my head in order to snap out of it.

"Uumm…So did you take care of that situation?"

"Pardon?" Now it was his turn to be confused.

"The family emergency you had to take care of. You know the one you had to miss two weeks of school for."

"I didn't realize you were counting the days I wasn't here." Dazzling smile strikes again.

"Don't flatter yourself, Edward. It's a bit hard not to notice-we're in the same class. And the only way I know the number of days you missed is because I had to do all of the work on my own. You know, my lab partner went missing and all." There, that should put him in his place.

He was about to say something but Mr. Banner began his lecture. I tried focusing on the lecture, I really did, but I felt this weird energy that seemed to flow between Edward and me. I had a very strong urge to reach out and touch him. I must be going crazy, that's the only rational explanation. Very subtly, I glanced over at him. His face didn't give away anything, a perfectly composed mask. It was his hands-he was gripping the end of the table so hard that I was sure it would leave marks. He must feel it too.

I was praying for the class to be over soon because I didn't know how much longer I could survive. And when the bell finally rang, I flew out of my seat and ran. I needed to go to a different building but when I opened the door, it was pouring outside.

"Great, it's raining again." I said to no one in particular.

"If you hate the rain so much, why move to the rainiest town in the continental US?" I turned to see Edward standing beside me, with a large umbrella in his hands. "Come on, I'll walk you to class."

"You don't have to. I'll just make a run for it." I had to look up in order to make eye contact. He was at least six feet tall. I didn't notice that before. Then again, he was sitting during our first meeting.

"Its fine, Bella," I could practically hear him rolling his eyes. "You never answered my question though."

"Oh. Well, my mom remarried and…"

"You don't like the guy?" He finished for me.

"No, Phil is great. He makes Renee happy. It's just they needed to spend more time together and I was sort of in the way. So I decided to come live with Charlie, get to know him better."

"And now you're unhappy."

"No, I'm not. I'm actually starting to like Forks. It grows on you." I said with a smile.

"That was a very brave and unselfish thing to do, Bella. Not a lot of people would do something like that."

"Yea, well, it's the least I could do for Renee. After all…" I trailed off.

"After all, what?" He asked. I noticed that we were by my building, quickly said thank you and good bye, and disappeared behind the doors. I almost said too much.

The next day, I noticed Edward was missing at lunch. I knew for a fact that he had the same lunch as his siblings-Alice informed me last week. When I asked about him, Emmett said that he had to catch up on his assignments. That made sense. It even made sense the next day, after all, he did miss two weeks' worth of school. In Biology, he was giving me the silent treatment. If he wanted to be like that, fine by me. Just because I was friends with his siblings, didn't mean I had to be friends with him; even though his silence hurt a bit.

On the third day, I was fed up. Edward wasn't doing make up work, he was avoiding me. I wasn't sure what I did or said to him. I replayed our conversation countless times but there was nothing offending in it. Maybe that's how he was. Then again, he did start the conversation. Could Alice have said something to him, to try and make him be nice to me? I wasn't ready to rule that out. I've noticed Alice always got her way. I must have been unusually silent because Rose (she said I could call her that) asked me if everything was ok. I wasn't ready to bring up these issues so I just said yes.

Thursday came around. I no longer questioned Edward's presence because his Volvo was always in the parking lot when I arrived. My heart always skipped a beat when I saw it. It was becoming quiet annoying. I decided that today I wouldn't sit with the Cullens. I had my reasons and I'm sure they would understand. At least I hoped they would.

I figured I could sit at my old table. As I was walking in that direction, I heard a booming "Bella! Hey, Bella, over here!" and saw Emmett standing and waving his arms. Edward was still missing from the table. This only reinforced my decision.

"Hey guys. Listen, I don't think it's a good idea to sit with you. Emmett, don't look at me that way. Let me explain: I don't want to come in between you all. I know that the only reason Edward is not sitting at this table is because of me. No, Alice, don't even try to convince me otherwise. So from now on, I'll sit at my table."

And with that, I walked away. I'm sure they understood that this was for their own good. I already damaged my own family, no need to do that to theirs. No matter what others said about them, Cullens were good people. I took out my copy of _Pride and Prejudice _and began reading.

Short time after, the doors of the cafeteria flew open and Edward walked in. Well, it was more like stormed in. He looked pissed. And he was headed towards me. I quickly glanced down, not wanting to meet his murderous glare. Once he was at my table, he stopped and waited for me to look at him. I took my time with that.

"Bella, you need to come and sit at our table." He demanded in a deceivingly calm voice. I knew better.

"I don't think that's such a great idea, Edward. You can go back to sitting with your family. I won't be a bother anymore." I looked him straight in the eye. He leaned in, leaving a couple of inches between our faces.

"I really don't care what you think. You either go willingly or I'll just drag you there." He whispered in a menacing tone.

"I'll scream." I said boldly. Maybe that would make him leave.

"I don't care. It's your choice."

I slammed my book closed, picked up my bag, and made my way over to the Cullens. I was greeted by smiling faces. I knew they were behind this. I sat my chair and turned to Edward.

"Happy?" I asked.

"Immensely."

For the rest of the lunch, I chose to ignore him. It's not like he cared. I could still feel that weird energy between us and I saw him steal a few glances at me. Maybe I should ask him if he's feeling it, too. Eh, maybe some other time.

My little cafeteria encounter left me in a sour mood for the rest of the day. Friday couldn't be worse, right?

WRONG. Friday was worse, much worse. It started out normal. I got ready, went outside, and saw snow on the ground. I hated snow. I hated driving in snow. And yet, I had no choice. I drove to school slowly and made it there safely, thanks to Charlie. He put chains on my tires before he went to work.

I hopped out of the car and slowly started walking. I made it to the back of my truck without an incident. Before I could congratulate myself, I slipped on a patch of ice. In my effort to steady myself by holding on to the truck, I dropped my keys. After quickly picking them up, I raised my head to see Edward and Alice across the parking lot. As if sensing me, Edward looked straight into my eyes. Suddenly, he broke the eye contact and looked over to the side. He never looked away first. I followed his gaze, only to find Alice looking at something in the distance. She had this blank look on her face. I turned my head to see where she was looking, not finding anything. I looked back at Edward only to find him looking at me with a mask of horror on his face. Before I could process the whole exchange, I heard it- that unmistakable sound of screeching tires and squealing breaks.

The time seemed to slow. I turned my head away from Edward to see a van spinning out of control. It was coming towards me. I would die today, I knew that. Just when I was beginning to live again, it was going to be taken away from me. Yea, life has a sick sense of humor. At least I would be at peace. And so I closed my eyes and welcomed death with a smile on my face.

Suddenly, I felt something slam into me and push me out of the way. My head made contact with something hard and I winced in pain. Then, I heard a collision and opened my eyes. Edward was holding me with one hand and pushing the van off with another. The van finally came to a stop and he glanced back at me. The world went silent. We just kept looking at each other. I saw his mouth move but I didn't hear the sound. That's when I saw panic in his eyes. He sat me down against my car and carefully patted my cheek. First thing I registered was the electrical shock that went through my body when he touched me; second was the temperature of his hands-they were ice cold. And then I heard him.

"…okay? Bella, can you hear me? Are you okay?" Yep, he was definitely panicking.

"Yea…I'm fine. I think."

"You scared me there for a second." He sounded relieved.

Before I could say anything else to him, the rest of the Cullens rushed over to me, followed by the rest of the student body. Alice was already on the phone, calling an ambulance. Emmett kept asking me if I was okay. I told him I need some breathing room so he, Rose and Jasper went to push people back. I stood up but felt my legs give out. Edward caught me before I could hit the ground.

"Easy, Bella. I think you bumped your head. You might feel a bit lightheaded."

"What, you're a doctor now?" I said sarcastically.

"No, but my father is."

"I knew that." I mumbled. "You can let go now. I think I can stand on my own."

"I'd rather not take that chance."

Before I could argue, the ambulance arrived. Without a warning, Edward picked me up bridal style and started carrying me towards it. And that's when panic set in. It's not that I was afraid of ambulances, not at all. It's just the last time I was in one was under less than pleasant circumstances. I began squirming in his arms.

"Bella, stay still or I might drop you."

"Edward, please I can't go in there."

"Don't tell me you have a fear of ambulances."

"I don't but I can't go in there. Please, just let me go."

"Bella, you hit your head. They need to check you."

Tears of frustration started rolling down my cheeks, which Edward noticed and stopped dead in his tracks. All of the sudden, Alice was by his side, telling him to let me go. He put me down but kept holding me by my arms.

"Bella, sweetie, look at me. I know you don't want to go in there but they need to make sure you didn't bump your head too hard. I'll come with you, okay?" Alice spoke in a quiet voice.

"Okay." I sniffled. I didn't mean to cry, but I got so frustrated with Edward that it produced the waterworks.

"Edward, you need to let her go now. You can meet us in the hospital." And with that, I was loaded on the stretcher and transported to the hospital. After they checked me and concluded that I didn't have a major head trauma, I was given something to help me rest. Next thing I knew, I was waking up to someone talking in hushed voices. I strained my ears to try and make out what they were talking about but a nurse came in to check on me. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Edward standing outside my room, talking to a blonde man.

"Dr. Cullen, she's awake now." The nurse called out and left the room.

The blond man, well, Edward's dad, came into my room.

"Hello Isabella."

"Bella." I corrected him.

"Bella. I'm Dr. Cullen, but you can call me Carlisle. You took quite a spill. You do have a bruise so it might hurt a bit, but other than that, you're good to go." He said with a smile.

"Glad to hear that. Although it could've been worse if Edward hadn't pushed me out of the way. He must be a fast runner." I said, looking straight at Edward, who was standing in the doorway.

"Count yourself lucky. I'll go get your paper work ready. Your father is waiting for you in the waiting room." And with that he left. Edward turned to leave but I stopped him.

"Do you think I could talk to you?"

"Sure, Bella. What about?"

"I want you tell me how you did it." I said, trying to keep my anger at bay.

"Did what exactly?" He asked, sounding confused.

"You ran across the parking lot in mere milliseconds and stopped a van with your bare hands. I want to know how you did it."

"Bella, I was standing right next to you. You hit your head, I think you're confused." He said in a patronizing voice.

"Edward, I saw you standing by Alice across the parking lot. I saw you pushing the van away. Please, I just want to know the truth." I was pleading at this point but I needed to know. I knew I wasn't imagining it. I didn't hit my head that hard.

"Do you even hear what you're saying? No one will believe you."

"I wasn't going to say anything to anyone."

"Will you tell me why you were smiling when you saw the van heading towards you?" He countered.

He had me there. I would never be able to explain it to him without telling him about Phoenix. I think my face gave it away.

"That's what I thought, Bella."

"I'm not letting this go, Edward."

"I hope you enjoy disappointment." Were his parting words.

I didn't know what to think anymore. That first day he was back, he seemed to enjoy our conversation-he had a smile on his face. What could've happened between Monday and Tuesday? Why was he avoiding me at all costs and why wouldn't he tell me the truth? I vowed I would figure it all out. First things first though-need to find Charlie. I bet he's freaking out.

I found Charlie pacing in the waiting room. The moment he saw me, he rushed over and made sure I was alright. I reassured him that everything was fine. I mean, physically I was. Emotionally, I wasn't so sure. I decided to wait until Sunday to talk to Margaret, my therapist.

"Hello, Bella." Her image flickered on the screen.

"Hello, Margaret." I answered.

"How are you doing?"

I told her about the close call and how I felt relief when I saw the van coming. I also told her about the rescue.

"I freaked out when he tried to put me into the ambulance." I confessed.

"And why did you feel like that, Bella?"

"I remembered all of the other times I was in the ambulance. I guess my mind just put those two together. It got better once Alice calmed me down and came with me."

"Alice is the new friend you've made, correct?"

"Yes, she and the rest of her siblings are my friends." I clarified.

"And Edward is…" Margaret trailed off.

"He's the youngest brother. You remember what I told you about Biology class, right?"

"Yes, your panic attack."

"Well, he's the one who sort of caused it." I sighed and saw Margaret's questioning look. "Not on purpose, I mean." I quickly added. "He was dealing with a lot of things at the moment or so I've been told. I told you what triggered the panic attack already. So he actually ended up going away for two weeks. Something to do with family issues."

"I thought you told me they were all adopted?"

"They are but Carlisle and Esme are nice enough to let them keep in touch."

"And now he's back." She stated.

"Yes. And now I'm even more confused than I was before. It's like he changes his mind every minute. It's so infuriating. One day he's talking and laughing with me and the next day, he completely ignores me." I let out a frustrated sigh. Margaret laughed and I looked at her confused.

"Bella, it's just nice to see you display emotions other than guilt. I'm amazed at how much progress you've made over such short period of time."

"You think me being pissed at him is a good thing?"

"I think it's a wonderful thing. It means you're finally coming around and being a normal teenager."

"I'm glad my misery is making you happy." She just chuckled at me.

"I can tell that being around the Cullen family is brining you out of you shell. They must me amazing people."

"They are. I'm glad they befriended me." I agreed.

"So I have a proposition for you-I know how much you just enjoy talking to me." I couldn't help hearing the sarcasm in her voice. "How about we extend the length between each session? What do you say to doing them twice a month?"

"You think I'm ready for that?"

"Bella, I wouldn't suggest it if I didn't think so. Now, if you feel like you need to contact me before our scheduled session, you are more than welcome to do that. Don't think that you can't." Margaret clarified.

"So twice a month then." I repeated.

"Yes. I know you can do this, Bella. You're stronger than you think." She smiled at me.

"Thank you. I'll talk to you in two week then, Margaret." And with that, I ended our conversation. I suddenly felt like I could take on the world. More importantly, I could take on the mystery that was Edward Cullen.


	7. Chapter 7

It was now the third week of March and I was no closer to solving the mystery of Edward than I was before. This didn't mean that I would give up. One little fact that hindered my progress was that prom madness was in full swing. I didn't understand it-prom wasn't until the second weekend of April and yet all of the girls seemed to be freaking out. Angela was no exception. She has asked me to go to Port Angeles with her this weekend and I agreed. Not like I had anything better to do. Charlie was going over to Billy's for fishing and would be gone until Sunday morning. Plus, I think Alice wanted to go shopping that weekend and now I had an excuse not to go. I know, evil me.

Edward and I had been very successful in not talking to each other. We still sat at the same table at lunch but never exchanged any words. We developed a pattern of dividing our work in Biology: he would write out labs and I would do the experiments. Dare I say, it was a comfortable arrangement. During one of the labs, I accidentally brushed against his skin and felt the same electrical shock. I gasped but he acted as if nothing was wrong. I let it go. It's not like I could tell him how he affected me. That I was thinking about him all the time. My little obsession had gone too far and yet I couldn't stop it. I was in too deep. I just never realized how deep.

The rest of the Cullens acted as if nothing had changed. I was glad to see that they still wanted to hang around me. All of them were happy to see me alive and well after the accident. Even Charlie stopped freaking out. Life was good; good enough, anyways.

I told Alice on Thursday that I was going to Port Angeles with Angela to look for a dress. She was surprised to hear that I was going. I told her I wasn't and this was strictly for Angela. Alice actually looked disappointed. She gave a long lecture about how prom was an essential part of high school, a rite of passage of some sorts. I just wanted her to shut up. So I told her I would go, if she would stop talking. She was ecstatic and told me not to worry about anything; she'd take care of everything. What have I gotten myself into?

Saturday came around and Angela and I headed out. I actually wanted to check out a bookstore over there. My book collection was very scarce and I needed some new reading material. I noticed it took us longer to get there than when I went with Alice. Then again, Alice sped like crazy. We located the shops Angela wanted to go to and the torture began. I think she tried on around twenty dresses in the first store, didn't like any of them and we moved on to the next store. Same thing happened there, only there were less dresses. Went into the third store (the last one of the day) and she grabbed around ten dresses. I must have looked extremely bored because Angela told me to go to that bookstore and to meet her at the restaurant in an hour. The sun was already setting and I figured it was a good idea to hurry up.

It took me a little bit of time to find the store. There were a lot of confusing little streets I had to turn on, but I was successful in the end. The store itself was small but it offered a good selection. I took my time browsing the titles and made a few selections before coming across a familiar title-_The Cold Ones._ I grabbed it because I had a feeling that Jacob gave me a short version of the legend and I was actually interested in the story. I glanced at my watch and realized that I've spent more time in here than I planned on. It was already dark outside. I quickly paid for the books and headed out.

I got lost quite a few a times but I finally made it into the right street. It was poorly lit and deserted. I picked up my pace. All of the sudden, I heard footsteps. I turned around to go the other way only to see a figure walking towards me. I turned around again and saw another figure. Crap, this was not good.

"Hello, sweetheart. Where are you going off in a hurry? We just want to play." A man said in a rough voice.

"Yea," The other one said. "Just want to play."

The first one grabbed me by my hand and pushed me towards the other one. I stumbled, which only made them laugh. They kept pushing me towards one another, as if it was the funniest thing in the world. With the final push, I ended up in the first man's arms. I looked up at his face, tears running down my face.

"Please, don't hurt me. Just let me go, I won't tell anyone." I begged. He grabbed my face with his hand and lifted it towards him.

"Oh, look, this one's pretty. I will definitely enjoy playing with you." He smiled at me.

I realized that if I wanted to stay alive, I needed to fight them somehow. So I bit down on his hand, earning a scream out of him. Not waiting for another second, I started running, only to be yanked back.

"Bitch! You bit me!" And with that, he hit me across the face, hard. The force of his hit sent me flying back. I didn't have enough time to catch myself so I ended up landing on my elbows. The impact made me cry out in pain. My mind associated the physical pain with another time and brought back my darkest memories. I was no longer on the street but back in my room in Phoenix. I pulled my knees up to my chin, hugged them, and started rocking back and forth. I kept chanting "Please, go away" over and over again. I could still hear everything around but my mind was elsewhere.

"What the hell is wrong with you? You little freak!" I heard one of them yell as he hit me.

Then, I heard tires screeching, a door open and some words exchanged. Next, was the sound of two people running away. Finally, I heard the voice of an angel. It had to be because there was no way Edward was here. So I kept rocking back and forth until a hand stopped me. I felt the shock and looked up to see Edward bent down on front of me. I launched myself at him, tightly hugged his neck, and buried my face in his chest. He let go of my shoulder and began rubbing my back.

"You're fine, Bella. Those men are gone, okay? You're fine. You're safe." He whispered reassuringly.

And I believed him. For some unknown reason, I felt safe in his arms-safer than I've ever felt before. He picked me up and carried me over to his car. Before he put me inside, he took his jacket and wrapped me in it. I looked down to find my shirt ripped up. I didn't even know when that happened. He made sure I was safely buckled in and pulled out of the street.

The inside of his car was very warm and I found myself become very sleepy. And then I remembered Angela.

"Edward, you need to go back. I have to find Angela. I was supposed to meet up with her and she's probably freaking out by now."

"Bella, don't worry, Alice took care of that. Angela thinks you're with Alice."

His words made me feel a lot better. At least I wouldn't have to explain anything to her. I wasn't doing a great job of keeping my eyes open so Edward told me to rest. He would wake me up when we would get home. I was out the moment I closed my eyes. My mind kept trying to process tonight's events which only resulted in nightmares. But whenever it got too bad, I kept hearing a voice reassuring me that I was safe.

I woke up when I felt Edward take me out of the car. The night was cool and it woke me up right away. I saw Alice standing by the front door. When did she get here?

"Bella, where's the key from the house?" She asked.

"It's in my purse. There's also another one under the floor mat." I told her and turned to Edward. "You can put me down now."

"I don't mind, Bella. Plus, I want to make sure you make it to your room safely." He gave me a small smile.

"You really think that now is the appropriate time to make fun of my clumsiness?" I asked, arching my brow. Might as well make him suffer a bit. He suddenly stiffened and became serious.

"You're right, this is not an appropriate time. I'm sorry, Bella."

I burst out laughing. I had finally made him feel bad. He just chuckled at my reaction.

"If you two are done flirting, I would like to get Bella to her room." Alice yelled from upstairs.

I blushed and lowered my head. Stupid meddling pixie! Way to ruin a nice moment, Alice. Without another word, Edward carried me upstairs and put me on my bed. He then exited the room. That was a bit rude.

Alice entered the room, carrying a wet cloth. She quickly cleaned up my face and arms and helped me change into pjs. She tried taking my watch off but I yanked my hand away and told her I'd do it later. She ignored my little outburst and let me be. She put a cold cloth on my face, saying it would help with bruising. I was thankful she thought of that. It would be hard to explain how I got it to people at school. She wished me goodnight and left. I closed my eyes and willed myself to go to sleep.

I was having my usual nightmare. Stairs. Renee. Phil. Pools of blood. James' evil smirk and his harsh words. I was back in my old room, trying to fight him off. The blows kept coming and coming and I cried out in pain. And then, it all stopped. I opened my eyes and saw no evidence of James. I felt a cool hand on my cheek and turned my head to see Edward looking at me. "You're safe." he said. And then I woke up.

I put my hands on my face only to find one cheek cooler than the other. At first, I thought it was from the cold cloth but then I realized it was on the other side. That's weird. I also saw that my window was open. I'm pretty sure it was closed before. I quickly jumped off the bed and walked over to close it. I looked towards the woods and saw a silhouette disappear into the trees. I must be seeing things. I mean, who would be out at this hour?

I went back to bed, hoping to fall asleep but had no luck. I then remembered about the books I've purchased. I picked up my bag and took out the one about the Cold Ones. I skipped over to the part where they described the enemy tribe. "Skin cold to the touch…Quick reflexes…Superhuman strength and speed…Unusual color of the eyes…Don't eat human food…Are sworn to keep their true nature a secret. "

And just like that, all of the pieces of the puzzle came together. Now I know why Edward couldn't tell me anything-it would give away his secret. I was still confused as to why he was ignoring me. His siblings seemed to have no problem with me. I decided I would talk to him on Monday. I wanted him to know that I knew what he was. And I didn't care one bit.

During my session, Margaret pointed out that I was distant. I just shrugged and said I had a lot on my mind. Technically, it wasn't a lie-I did have a lot on my mind. I didn't want her to think I've finally lost it since I was now convinced that Edward was a vampire. Luckily, Margaret let it be and ended our session earlier. Not that I minded.

Charlie was acting a bit weird tonight. He kept checking on me and even cut his TV time to spend some time with me. I wrote it off on the fact that I was attacked yet again. Around eleven p.m. he headed upstairs and I followed his example. I was hoping I'd be able to fall asleep fast but my mind kept working in overdrive.

I was starting to think that maybe I was never supposed to make it out alive in Phoenix and all of these incidents were life's way of telling me so. That maybe death was out to get me. Great, now I was being paranoid. Good going, Bella! I shook all of these crazy thoughts out of my head and forced myself to relax. After all, tomorrow will be a long day.


	8. Chapter 8

Getting ready in the morning took me a bit longer than usual. I did end up getting a bruise on my face but thanks to Alice, it wasn't as bad. I actually ended up putting foundation on my face in order to cover it up. I really didn't like wearing make-up but desperate times called for desperate measures. The bruise wasn't noticeable unless you knew to look for it. I left the house with a mix of excitement and worry. Why you ask?

Today was the big day-I was going to confront Edward after school. Throughout the whole day, I was feeling nervous. I even skipped lunch, saying I had homework to do. The final bell rang. This was it.

I found him in the parking lot, talking to Alice. The moment she spotted me, she said something to Edward and ran towards Emmett's Jeep. He turned to face me and shot me his dazzling, crooked smile. He knew he was in trouble and he was pulling out the big guns. Oh no, this was not going to work today.

"Hello Bella. Wonderful to see. Are you're feeling better?"

"We need to talk, Edward." I said in a firm voice.

"I would love to stay and chat, but I have things I need to take care of." And with that he opened the door of his car.

"I know what you are." He stopped.

"Get in the car." He said without turning around.

I didn't need a second invitation. The moment I closed the door, he sped out of the parking lot. I had no idea where he was taking me. I also told Charlie that I'd be staying after school to work on a project. Not a smart move on my part.

I glanced over at Edward and saw his clenched jaw. Yep, I definitely got to him. I was now wondering if he would get rid of me. I mean, after all, I knew his secret. And then I realized how stupid I was. He's had plenty of opportunities, if he wanted me dead, he would've done it already.

The car swerved to the left and pulled into a deserted road. Once the main road was out of sight, he stopped the car. After couple of seconds, he turned to face me. His eyes bore into mine as if sizing me up. I swallowed hard. All of my bravery suddenly flew out of the window.

"Well, Bella. I'm waiting." I kept staring at him. "What happened to all that brave talk about wanting to talk to me? Come on, I don't have all day." He taunted.

"Yes, you do. You have an eternity, to be exact." There, I said it. He just arched his eyebrow. So I continued.

"You know, I never would've figured it out if it wasn't for my friend Jacob. He lives at La Push and his tribe has a very interesting legend. It's about the Cold Ones. Of course, I didn't put everything together until I read a book with the same title. It gave a good description of them. Cold to the touch, superhuman strength and speed, unique color of the eyes-it all fit." I finished my rant. He still showed no reaction to my words.

"That's a fascinating story, Bella, but what does it have to do with me?" He was seriously going there?

"Edward, don't patronize me. I've touched your hands, they are ice cold. Your eyes are the most unusual color. You ran across a parking lot in milliseconds and stopped a van from crushing me. Don't sit here and deny that." I was becoming angry with him.

"So what does that make me? What am I?" He asked, moving closer to me. "Come on, Bella, say it."

"Vampire."

"Aren't you afraid?"

"Should I be?"

"You tell me. You're sitting in the car with a vampire." So I was right!

"No. I'm not afraid of you."

"You should be."

"Why?" I asked stubbornly.

"Think about it, Bella. What's our source of food? What do we eat?" The realization finally hit me. Blood, they fed on blood. "That's right. For all you know, you could be sitting in the car with a very hungry vampire."

"You won't hurt me."

"How do you know that?" He asked surprised.

"If you wanted to hurt me, you would've done it already. That's why I'm not afraid. And that's why it doesn't matter." I said with as much conviction as I could. His closeness was making it difficult for me to concentrate now.

"It doesn't matter?" He exclaimed, moving back. "Are you crazy? You just found out I'm a monster and you say it doesn't matter. Have you no sense of self preservation?"

"You're not a monster. If you were, you never would've saved me. You would let the van crush me or you wouldn't stop those men. You're good, Edward. You're not a monster."

He kept staring at me, with a shocked expression. Did he really expect me to run away screaming? And then another thought popped into my mind: how did he know where I was. So I asked him. He just looked at me confused.

"How did you know where to find me in Port Angeles?"

"I didn't. I guess I was in the right place at the right time."

"Bullshit. You knew the exactly where I was. Did you follow me there?" I kept pressing on.

"Alice told me that you were going to Port Angeles with Angela. I just wanted to make sure you were safe. I made sure to keep my distance, to give you privacy. It wasn't until I heard what those low lives were thinking that I…"

"Wait, did you just say heard? As in, you can read minds?" I asked him, shocked by his revelation.

"I can read everybody's mind, with the exception of yours."

"There's something wrong with me?"

"Bella, I tell you I can read minds and you think there's something wrong with you!" He laughed. I pouted. It was a legitimate question. He didn't have to make fun of me.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have laughed. Like I was saying, I heard what they were thinking and I was able to pinpoint your location." He reached out and traced the outline of my bruise. And here I thought I did a good job in covering it up. "I'm sorry I didn't get there sooner, Bella." Edward apologized. It's moments like these that really confused me. He kept changing his mind about our situation so often that I felt his mood swings were giving a headache.

"Why did you save me? I mean, you ignore me at school all the time and yet you keep saving me."

"I feel very…protective of you, Bella. I fought this for the longest time." He sighed heavily, dropping his hand from my face. I missed the contact. "I can't stay away from you anymore."

I reached out for him, placing my hand on top of his.

"Then don't." I pleaded.

I understood what he was trying to say-I've had this incredible pull towards him and I couldn't fight against it. He just kept looking at our hands. He was about to say something else but his phone buzzed. He quickly looked down at it and closed it.

"Bella, I have to take you home before Charlie calls in the state police." He started pulling out back onto the main road.

"Will you tell me more about your family?" I asked, hoping to hear more.

"Yes. There's no point of pretending with you anymore-you know the truth. Tell Charlie that Alice asked you for a sleepover on Wednesday night. Come up with something along the lines of bonding and makeovers." I grimaced at that. "You won't be doing that, Bella. You want to know more, well, that will take a good amount of time. "

"Why Wednesday, though? Why not tomorrow?"

"You're not a patient person, are you? Don't worry, you'll know why."

We were now at my house. I said good bye and ran into the house. Charlie was watching yet another game. The moment I stepped in, he rushed over to me and checked if I was okay. Charlie looked for any bodily damage on me.

"Dad, I'm fine. Can you please stop smothering me?" It came out a bit harsher than I intended.

"I'm sorry Bells. I just want to make that you didn't do…I mean, that nothing happened to you." He quickly corrected himself.

"Margaret talked to you, didn't she?" I now understood his overprotective mode.

"Yea, she did. Now, don't go blaming her. She wanted to make sure you were alright. Your last session didn't go so well, as far as I understand."

"Yea, dad, I'm fine. I'm not going to kill myself, if that's what you're worried about." I sighed in frustration.

"Bella, don't be like that. It's just you were finally getting better and then during your session Margaret thought you were retreating back to how you were in Phoenix." Charlie tried to explain. I took a deep breath. Both of them were right. If I didn't know any better, I would think the same thing, but there was a reason for my strange behavior. I just didn't want to share that with them.

"You're right, dad. I'm sorry I got you worried."

"It's fine, Bells." He gave me an awkward hug. "There's pizza in the kitchen."

He ordered pizza again. I was supposed to take care of him, food wise anyways. I needed to work harder on being a better daughter. Before I went to bed, I told him about Wednesday and he was very happy to hear of my budding friendship with Alice. If he only knew.

I woke up the next morning, only to be blinded by the sunlight. Wow, Forks had sunny days! That made my mood so much better. I spent most of the night processing everything Edward told me. I also knew that I would have to tell him the truth on Wednesday. He deserved to know the truth about me. So did his siblings. I decided to tell him first.

Cullens were missing today. I sat with Ben and Angela at lunch and she informed me that their parents took them out of school on sunny days to go on hikes or camping, if it was a Friday. Lucky them! Maybe that's why Edward set up our "date" tomorrow.

I was in the middle of doing my homework when I heard Charlie yell "Bella, phone!" I made my way to the kitchen, thinking it was Jake on the phone. I was surprised to hear Renee's voice on the phone. Of course, I assumed the worst.

"Mom, is everything okay? Did something happen?"

"Bella, sweetie, calm down. Everything is fine. Nothing has happened, please stop worrying."

"Sorry," I laughed. "You know me, I always assume the worst when it comes to these things." I heard Renee laugh on the other end. "So what's going on?"

"I just wanted to call and see how you were. We haven't talked in a while." I felt a pinch of guilt. Here I was so wrapped up in Edward that I haven't called my own mother in the past weeks.

"Everything is good. School's keeping me busy."

"So what is it I hear about new friends?" Renee asked. Oh I knew where this was heading. She obviously talked to Margaret.

"I see you've spoken to Margaret. Well, I have a few friends. Let's see, do you remember Reverend Webber? His daughter, Angela, has a few classes with me. She was one of the first people to befriend me. And there's also a nice family, Cullens. There's Alice, Jasper, Rose, and Emmett." I finished, knowing full well what she wanted to know.

"Okay, let's cut the chase, Bella. Who is this Edward I keep hearing about from Margaret?" Ha, I knew it!

"He's Alice Cullen's brother. We kind of got off on a wrong foot in the beginning but I think we're okay now. Did Margaret tell you about the incidents?"

"Yes, she did."

"Well, Edward was the one who saved me both times. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be talking to you."

"That's very interesting." Renee said in conspicuous tone.

"Mom! Please, let's not go there. We're just friends, nothing more." I exclaimed.

"Aha, sure. Just friends, Bella." I could practically hear her smiling.

"Okay, let's just drop it. Tell me all about Phoenix." I changed the subject. And so she did. After another half an hour, we said our goodbyes and hung up. I was glad she called-I missed Renee. Maybe next time I should call first.

Wednesday came around and everything seemed to be back to normal. Cullens were present at lunch, sitting at their regular table. Today was the pizza day at cafeteria (one of the few edible things here), so I took a piece and headed towards their table. The silence was deafening. Even Emmett was quiet. This was weird. I took my set and looked at them.

"What?" I asked.

"You're sitting with us?" Rose was the first one to break the silence.

"Am I not supposed to? If you don't want me to, just tell me."

"Sweetie, it's not that we don't want you here. We just assumed you wouldn't want to sit with us." Alice spoke up.

I looked around the table to find all of them with somber expressions. Why would they think that? Oh, of course!

"Is this about Monday? Because I already told Edward: I don't care."

"You don't care?" Emmett said in a hopeful tone.

"Nope. As far as I'm concerned, you all are the nicest people I've met so far." I shot him a huge grin.

Next thing I knew, I was locked into a bone crushing hug. When did he get over here?

"Emmett…can't…breath."

"Oh, sorry," He said, putting me down. "I guess we all just assumed."

"You won't get rid of me that easily." I laughed.

And so, lunch went back to its normal flow. Even Edward laughed a few times, which was a huge improvement. I only hoped they'd still want to be my friends after I told them everything.

Once the final bell rang, I practically skipped towards the parking lot. I saw Alice and Edward standing by his car and headed towards them.

"Bella, Alice will go in the car with you so you won't get lost. I'll meet you at the house, okay?" Edward informed me.

"Sure. I'll see you there." I shot him a smile.

With that I turned to Alice and both of us headed for my car. I could tell she was excited because she was bouncing again. Our drive to their house was filled with chatter about prom. Well, more like Alice telling me all about dresses and accessories. Why did I ever agree to that?

When we pulled up to the house, Edward was outside waiting for me. He was momentarily by my side, opening the car door for me. I thanked him and blushed. He just grinned at me and took my hand. The now familiar electricity flowed between us. I needed to talk to him about that.

He was leading me off into the woods, which confused me. I thought we were going to talk.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"There's a place I go to when I want some peace and quiet. We just need to hike a bit further into the woods."

"Hike? You do realize I'm a clumsy person, right?"

"Don't worry, Bella. I won't let you fall." He said, looking straight into my eyes. I believed him.

The first five minutes went by fine, but then I tripped over a root and started falling. True to his word, Edward caught me right before I fell.

"Alright, so maybe this was not the greatest idea on my part." I shot him a look that said "You think"?

"So what do you propose, Mr. Let's take a clumsy person for a hike in the woods."

"Jump on my back. I'll carry you there."

"Edward, you do realize I'm a bit heavier than your usual backpack."

"Don't worry about that."

"Okay, fine!" I knew I couldn't win.

So I did what he asked and got on his back. He told me to close my eyes. I didn't. That's when Edward took off running. Now I wished I would've listened. He was running at such speed that the trees became blurs. I gasped and shut my eyes. I felt him chuckle. Stupid vampire!

We finally came to a stop and I felt myself lowered onto the ground. I still kept my eyes closed and took a few deep breaths. That helped. Edward told me to open my eyes and so I did. What I saw took my breath away.

I was standing in the middle of a perfectly circular meadow, surrounded by forest on all sides. The meadow itself was covered in tall grass and purple flowers. It gave off a very serene feeling. I now understood his earlier words. I turned to face Edward.

"This is beautiful. Thank you so much for showing it to me."

"I thought it was appropriate for our talk." He said, lowering himself down. I did the same.

"Yea, about that. Before you tell me anything, there's something you should know about me."


	9. Chapter 9

"You already know that my parents are divorced and I was living with my mom in Phoenix. Like I told you, she remarried. I was in eighth grade when she met Phil. They dated for a little while and got married when I started tenth grade. Renee was beyond happy and I was too. Phil was wonderful both towards her and me. I guess you could say he became my second father figure. What I didn't tell you about was my name. You see, I only became Isabella Swan when I moved to Forks. I was born Grace Isabella Potter." I paused to see Edward's reaction. He told me to continue.

"Anyways, my sophomore year, we got a new science teacher. He was straight out of college and everyone loved him. My friends were all crazy about him because of his looks. He had these ice blue eyes and long blond hair. He seemed very nice. I was one of the lucky ones out of our group to have a class with him or so my friends thought.

The first day of class he introduced himself as James Whitmore. He told everyone to call him James, instead of Mr. Whitmore and if we had any questions at all, he was more than happy to help out. I thought it was nice of him to be open like that to his students. James took the roll and when my name came up, I told him I went by my middle name and preferred Bella instead of Isabella. He told me Isabella was more suitable for a girl like me. I wasn't sure how to respond to that so I just nodded. Anyways, everything seemed to be normal for a couple months. I mean, I noticed James looking at me a few times but didn't think much of it. I mean, look at me-I'm nothing special.

Around October, James asked me to stay after class. He asked me how I was doing in school, if any classes were giving me any problems. I answered him honestly, saying that I was enjoying the school year thus far and that his class was one of my favorites. I wasn't trying to kiss ass or anything, I just really enjoyed science. I swear his whole face lit up. All of the sudden, he got closer and reached out to sweep back a strand of hair that was out of place. He let his hand linger on my face for a little bit before slowly tracing his finger down my neck and arm. I knew this was wrong so I quickly said good bye and ran out of the classroom. I didn't say anything to anyone, thinking I was blowing this out of proportion.

The next class, he acted as if nothing had happened. He would still look over at me once in a while but nothing more. I figured he realized he was out of line. I was wrong.

A couple of weeks later, I had to stay after school and work on a project. I decided to go to the library. To this day, I have no idea how James found out. My best guess, he overheard one of my friends talking. I found a good spot in the back with no one around. I was engrossed with my work that I didn't hear him approach. He put him hand on my shoulder which made me jump in surprise. He just laughed and said I was spooked easily. He took a seat next to me and started talking. I kept hinting that I needed to get my work done but he chose to ignore it. Next thing I know, I feel his hands on mine, caressing them. I moved mine. That only worked for a moment. He got up and started massaging my shoulders. I told him to stop, that this was wrong. He just laughed but didn't stop. So I got up and started gathering my stuff. He spun me around so I would face him. He said that he noticed me looking at him during the class. I told him it was ridiculous, that he was the one looking at me. He told me that I needed to stop playing games with him. I said I had no idea what he was talking about. He kept leaning in closer to me and I started backing up until my back hit the shelf. He just kept coming towards me. I was freaking out at this point. I was all the way in the back and no one was close by. I figured screaming was a good option. As if reading my mind, James put a hand on my mouth to prevent that. He said that if I was a good girl, he would make it quick and painless. His other hand moved toward the hem of my shirt.

All of the sudden, I heard loud laughter. James turned in the direction of the voices, releasing me for a moment. That was all it took. I ducked under his arms, ran to the table, grabbed my backpack, and ran towards the exit. I knew I was crying by now. I found my mom standing outside the library with a worried look on her face. Apparently, I was fifteen minutes late. The moment she saw my face, she knew something was wrong. I told her to get me home and I would tell her everything.

By the time we made it home, I calmed down. I told Renee what happened today and two weeks before. She called the principal and told him everything. He set up a meeting early in the morning to get talk to me directly. My mom went with me and I told the principal the whole story. He said he would speak with James separately. Of course, James denied everything. What he didn't know was that there were cameras back there and everything was captured on tape. To be honest, I didn't know about the cameras either. James was fired on the spot.

Even though James was fired, he didn't stop harassing me. He kept calling our phone and left several threatening notes at our apartment doors. We ended up moving and changing out number. That stopped him. I guess he had all of the old information from school. I thought that was the last of him.

Our school always had a winter dance right before Christmas break. My friends begged me to go and I gave in. It turned out great. I was having a lot of fun just dancing with them. Towards the end of the dance, I excused myself to get some fresh air. I need to cool down a bit. I was heading towards a bathroom when out of nowhere James grabbed me and slammed me against lockers. He pinned me down and started screaming at me. He told me it was my fault he got fired over nothing, that I led him on, and I was a little whore. He grabbed my face and started slamming my head against the locker. I screamed with all my might, which earned a slap. He hit me so hard that my head turned to the side from the impact. Luckily, someone heard me and two security guys showed up. They dragged James off of me and called the police. My mom was also called. When she got to the school, she made sure to fill out a restraining order. While she was doing that, paramedics checked me out. I ended up with a good number of bruises. James was arrested and spent a few days in jail. He was warned to stay away from me.

Christmas came around and we were trying to go back to normal life. I was still shaken up over the whole situation. I kept jumping at sudden noises and Renee kept reassuring me that it was over- James couldn't hurt me anymore. It was Christmas day evening and we were just lounging around the apartment. Phil was downstairs, waiting for food to arrive. We decided to be lazy that day and ordered Chinese. Renee and I were in my room, checking some stuff online. I heard a doorbell and heard Phil open it. The next thing I heard was a gunshot. Renee shot up from my bed and told me to stay in my room. I heard footsteps and arguing. There was no mistaking the second voice-it was James. I bolted out of my room and ran towards them, only to see him push Renee down the stairs. I ignored him, and looked down. Renee landed right by Phil, who had been shot in the head. I noticed that she was also bleeding. You see, a few weeks before, she found out she was pregnant. The fall down the stairs made her miscarry. I started screaming at the top of my lungs. I felt James grabbing me and dragging me towards my room. He threw me on my bed and closed the door. I looked up to him to see a big smile on his face. In that moment, James looked crazy. He started walking towards me and telling me how he had these plans for me. I didn't care. All I could think about was the fact that Phil was dead and Renee lost her baby. And it was all because of me. I felt him undress me but didn't react to it at all. That must have pissed him off because he started hitting me, hard. I was screaming at him, trying to block his hits, but my attempts were futile." I stopped when I felt Edward's hands cup my face. He was wiping my tears away with his thumbs. I didn't realize I was crying. He then lowered his hands and took mine into his. With one last shaky breath, I continued.

"All of the sudden, the door was flung open and a whole bunch of cops flew into my room. They handcuffed James and led him out of my room. I later found out my neighbors heard the gunshot and called the cops immediately. The cops knew it was us and that's why they turned their sirens off before pulling into the complex. As they told me later, they didn't want to scare him off.

It turned out that Phil was still alive. He was rushed to the hospital and operated on. He went into a coma and was put on life support. He's still at the hospital. Renee ended up with a broken arm and a miscarriage. She stayed at the hospital for a few days. Charlie flew in to keep an eye on me. He ended up staying for a bit longer because Renee was staying with Phil a lot. School started back up and I went back. Of course everyone knew what had happened on Christmas. There was a lot of whispering and theories. Some kids said that I was pretty much asking for it. Others said that I started a relationship with James and talked him into killing Phil because I didn't like him. After two weeks I've had enough. I spoke to school administration and they allowed me to test out of tenth grade.

I was spending all of my time at home. My so called friends ended up abandoning me. They never called to see how I was doing or if I wanted to go out to movies. Nothing. It's as if I never existed.

I can remember that day clearly. Renee was at home, which was a big deal. I told her I needed to get out. She told me to go to the mall and so I did. I was walking around, just looking at different displays when I noticed my old group. I smiled and started walking up to them. One of the girls, Ashley, turned around and saw me coming. She quickly turned back to the rest of them, pointed back to me and all of the sudden, they left. That did it for me. I don't remember how I got back to the apartment. I greeted Renee and told her I'd be up in my room. I went straight into her bedroom and found a sewing kit. I have no idea why she had it. It's not like she ever used it. Anyways, inside, among other things, was a razor. I grabbed it and went to the bathroom. " I stopped, took off my watch, and turned my hand over. I was now staring at two scars-I hesitated on the first cut. Edward gently traced them.

"This is why I always wear a watch. The only people that know are Renee and Charlie. And now you do. You see, I felt so sorry for myself that I decided to just end it all. I hesitated on my first cut but got it right the second time. Of course, my brilliant plan went up in smoke. In my haste, I didn't stop to think that I would faint. I'm very sensitive to the smell of blood. I think I'm one of the very few people who can smell it. So the moment I smelled blood, I passed out. Next thing I know, I'm inside an ambulance and Renee is freaking out. I was in and out of conciseness that whole day. They put me on suicide watch and held me in the hospital for two days. I was forced into therapy by Renee. I think that was the best decision she's ever made for me. It made me realize that I was in fact depressed and how wrong I was to try and take my own life. I've made progress during those months and was finally cleared to start school after Christmas. I went back to my old school in January but only lasted for a month. The rumors only got worse after my attempt. So I spoke to my therapist and asked if it would be okay for me to move here. She actually thought it was a great idea-change of scenery and such. We made an arrangement to speak every week. I usually talk to her every Sunday. Actually, now we only speak twice a month. She said I've been making a lot of progress since I came here. I have your family to thank for that. If it wasn't for Alice, I don't know what kind of state I would be in." I looked up and gave him a grateful smile. It was true. My doctor was amazed how much progress I've made in such short time. Ever since I started being friends with Cullens, I felt human again. I quickly realized that I haven't finished my story and kept going." Anyways, we spoke with the police in Phoenix to let them know I was leaving. One of the detectives suggested a name change. James was locked away but he didn't want to take any chances. And that's how I became Isabella Marie Swan." I paused before continuing to the dreaded conclusion of my speech. "I will understand if you don't want to be friends with me anymore or whatever it is we are. "

"Why would I do that?" He asked, letting go of my hands.

"Edward, I know you keep saying you're a monster, but the real monster is me. I'm responsible for the death of an innocent child. And it's because of me Phil is in the hospital and Renee is hurting. Don't you see, I destroyed their lives!" I finished, looking down at my feet. I felt him scoot closer to me. He then put his finger under my chin and lifted my head. I kept my eyes down. Rejection would be hard enough without looking at him.

"Bella, look at me. Please, look at me." He pleaded. And so I did. "It's not your fault. It never was and it never will be. James is a monster, not you. You did everything in your power to stop him. Okay? I never want to hear you say those words ever again. You're such a brave person." I scoffed at that. "You are. Believe me, not a lot of people could do what you did. After everything that has happened to you, you still have so much love for others. You take care of Charlie. You defended my whole family against the evil that is Lauren. And you're still friends with me, even though I am what I am." I smiled at him because he didn't refer to himself as a monster. Maybe we were making progress here. And maybe he could be the one to put me back together.

"I would like to know one thing though. What happened to James?" He asked cautiously.

"There was a trial during summer. I had to testify against him. I was so scared and nervous that day. The whole time I was on the stand, James was staring at me with so much hatred in his eyes. I just kept telling myself that I had to get through it. He couldn't hurt someone else. He was convicted of course. His parting words still give me nightmares." I said with a shudder.

"What did he say to you?" Edward pressed on.

"He said that this was not the end- that he would come back for me."

"He will never come close to you. Not if I can help it." Edward said with so much conviction.

"It's not me I'm worried about. If James ever decided to come after me, he will go after the people I love. That's what scares me. If I'm out of the picture, they'll be safe."

"Is that why you were smiling the day of the accident?"

"Yes. I thought that it was my way out. I will finally be and peace and my family would be safe. Everyone would be better off without me." I could've sworn I heard Edward mutter something along the lines of not everyone.

"And the ambulance?" He questioned.

"It just reminds me of everything. First, Phil and Renee and secondly, my own attempt." I clarified. "Will you tell me about yourself now?" I asked, changing the subject.

"I'm not sure if that's a good idea."

"Edward, please. I need to think about something else." I pleaded.

And so he told me his story. He was born in Chicago, in 1901 to Edward and Elizabeth Masen. In 1918, influenza epidemic hit the city and everyone fell ill. His father was the first one to go, followed by his mother. Before she died, she asked the attending doctor to save her son, at any cost. Turned out, Carlisle was the doctor. The only reason he turned Edward was because he was dying. He wouldn't otherwise. The change took three days to complete and was extremely painful. Edward told me he never experienced that type of pain before or after the transformation. I could only imagine how bad it was. I bet it took an exceptionally strong person to survive.

When he woke up, all of his senses were assaulted. After the change, every sense is heightened: better hearing, faster reflexes, superhuman speed and strength. The skin became harder and more durable. He was able to process more things at the same time. Also, once he saw something, it was stored in his memory forever. I found it fascinating.

I asked him about his diet. I mean, I haven't heard any news about people disappearing in the nearby area. He explained to me that his family was different from others-they fed on the animals. They referred to themselves as vegetarians. I guess I could see how that would be appropriate. Other vampires did not follow that diet and that's why their eyes were red.

As it turned out, the thirst for blood never really went away. It could only be quenched for some time, but was still present in the back of the throat. When they became hungry, their eyes would turn dark. That's when I remembered Biology.

"Is that what happened to you in class? You were hungry?" I asked.

"Yes and no. You see, most of the time, we can resist the call of human blood. You, Bella, are a special case. You're what they call a singer. My singer."

"What does that mean exactly?" I was confused by this new information.

"Your blood calls to me like no other. I'm usually good at staying in control but you, you are a different story. It took every ounce of my self control not to attack you. I wanted to drain you right there, in front of the entire class. You have no idea how difficult it was." He sounded ashamed.

My breath got caught in my throat. It was as if I was a piece of meat that was dangled in front of a hungry lion. I gulped.

"Don't worry. It's not as bad anymore." Edward reassured me with a smile.

"Is that why you looked so angry?"

"Yes, but I wasn't angry at you. I was angry at my own reaction. I thought I had great control and there I was, ready to throw it all away."

"What changed?" I kept pressing on. I wanted to know how he got better.

"I ran away. Just like you in Biology. Why did you run?"

"The way you looked at me-that was how James looked at me at the trial. It brought back everything and I panicked. I ran to nurse's office to calm down." I answered.

"I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault, Edward." I had to laugh at the irony. Who else would have blood that sang to a vampire. He just looked confused. "Sorry, I was just thinking how it was very me to have blood that was so appealing to you. I think after everything that has happened, I can now call myself a danger magnet. So where did you go?"

"We have friends in Alaska. I visited them for a few days."

"Wait, you were gone for two weeks, though. Where did you spend the rest of the time?"

"At home." He said, as if that was the most rational explanation in the world. I just tilted my head to the side in confusion. "I had to get used to your scent if I wanted to stick around Forks. I kind of like it here."

"How exactly did you get used to my scent?" I was very interested in how he did it.

"Remember Alice taking you to our house after the shopping trip? That was the day I came back from Alaska. I was actually upstairs when she was giving you the tour of the house. Granted, Emmett and Jasper were there, in case anything went wrong. Your scent lingered for few days. Also, Alice's car retained your scent for a longer period of time. And there was a shirt Alice took away from you during shopping." He concluded, giving me a small smile. I knew he was waiting for my reaction.

"Huh, so that's why she took it. She's very sneaky, you know. You went through a lot of trouble. Why? What makes me so special?" I needed to know what was going on in that head of his.

"You intrigue me. Yours is the first mind I can't read. It's very frustrating, you know."

"I'm sure! Because us mortals have to go through life guessing everyone's intentions. God forbid you would have to do that!" I exclaimed. He just laughed at me. I think I could listen to him laugh for ages. It was music to my ears.

"What happened between Monday and Tuesday that made you give me the cold shoulder?" That has bugged me for some time now.

"Alice had a vision."

"And…" I pressed on.

"It had something to do with you becoming like us."

"How?"

"It would've been my fault. So that's why I thought it would be best to stay away from you."

"What changed?"

"I told you, Bella, I'm tired of keeping my distance. I can't fight it anymore." His voice sounded strained and he looked upset.

"Could you tell me more about your family?" I changed the subject. Edward shot me a grateful look and continued his story.

After some time, Esme had joined the family, followed by Rosalie. Esme became Carlisle's companion and he hoped Rosalie would become the same to Edward. When I heard that, I felt a pang of jealousy shoot through me. What was that all about?

Apparently, Edward and Rosalie couldn't stand each other so Carlisle's plan didn't work out. A bit later, Rose found Emmett. He was mauled by a bear while hunting and Rose carried him all the way home to have Carlisle turn him. They've been inseparable even since. Alice and Jasper were the last ones to join the family. They just showed up together and have been a part of the family since then. Over the years, the couples were married several times. Alice loved planning weddings. I could see that.

He also told me about his rebellious period. He left the family after Rosalie joined. He spent his nights hunting criminals: murderers, rapists, you name it. Eventually, Edward realized that he had no right to judge who would live or die. He then returned to Carlisle, who welcomed him with open arms.

I asked Edward if others in the family could read minds. He told me that he was the only one, although Alice could see the future and Jasper was able to manipulate emotions. Esme had a gift of loving. She became a motherly figure for all of them, even though Edward was technically older. Rosalie, of course, had her beauty. And Emmett had his strength.

"I bet Alice saw me coming." I commented.

"Her visions are based on people's decisions, so they are subjective. She won't see until a decision is made. "

"Still, must be very helpful."

"It is. Although it's extremely annoying as well."

"That's true. She'll know what you're planning."

"Yes. It's very hard to surprise her. And believe me, we've tried over the years." He chuckled.

"Hmm." Was my brilliant response.

"We should probably get back. It's getting dark out."

I looked up to the sky to find the sun setting. The sky was cloudy during the day, but now it cleared and the last rays of the sun were peeking through the trees. I turned to Edward and gasped. His skin was sparkling where the sun rays hit it. It reminded me of a diamond reflecting the rays of light-such a beautiful sight.

"This is why we don't come out in the sun. People would see right away that there was something wrong with us." He explained.

"May I?" I asked, reaching out to touch him. He simply nodded.

I traced the length of his arm from the tips of his fingers to his elbow. I heard his sigh at the contact. I removed my fingers and smiled up at him. He hoisted me up on his back and took off running. This time, I closed my eyes right away.


	10. Chapter 10

We arrived at the house just as the sun set. Before my feet had the chance to touch the ground, Emmett enveloped me in his signature bone crushing hug.

"Bella, I've missed you." He put me down after getting a warning growl from Edward. "Did you do anything funny while you were with Edward?" He asked, eagerly awaiting my answer.

"Well, I tripped on a root and almost fell." I offered.

"And I missed it!" He whined.

"Emmett, I can't help but come to a conclusion that you only like me for my clumsiness." I said with a pout.

"Move over, you big lug. You're hogging her." Rose said. I didn't even see her. "Bella, Alice would like to speak with you. Let's go inside."

Once on the inside, Alice crashed into me. Yes, literally crashed into me.

"Oh my goodness, Bella, I'm so sorry. I have no idea how you went through it all." She kept rambling.

"Alice, what are you talking about?"

"She saw your decision to tell Edward and saw what happened in Phoenix. And then she told us. I hope you don't mind." Rose answered warily.

"Not at all. I was going to tell you guys later, but this takes care of that. I'm actually glad I don't have to go through it all again."

"Bella, I just wanted to let you know that if you ever needed to talk about it, I'm here to listen. I went through a similar situation. I'll tell you about it later but if you need anything, I'm here for you." Rose said.

"Thank you, Rose. You too, Alice." And I hugged them both. They embraced me and we stood like that for a few minutes.

"Alright, ladies. Let's break up the love fest." Emmett's voice boomed from the entrance.

I turned to see him and Edward come into the house. Edward walked up to me and took my hand. I don't think I will ever get used to the jolt of electricity that shot through my body every time we touch.

"Esme wants to meet you, if that's alright with you." He said.

"Of course! Lead the way."

We ended up heading towards the kitchen. Before I knew it, I was enveloped in a hug. I was shocked for a moment but then hugged back with as much fierceness.

"Bella! It's great to finally meet you. My children have been talking nonstop about you. I'm Esme."

Esme was a beautiful woman with caramel shade of hair. She had such motherly presence about her. Her smile made me feel safe and welcome.

"Mrs. Cullen, it's a pleasure to meet you. You have a beautiful house." I said.

"Thank you, my dear. And, please, call me Esme. I've made you something to eat. I figured you'd be hungry since Edward kept you out for so long." She said, looking pointedly at Edward. I snickered. Esme looked back at me and winked.

"Thank you so much for doing that." I didn't realize how hungry I was.

"Alright, I'll let you eat in peace. I hope I'll be seeing more of you from now on." And with that, she hugged me again.

I walked over to the stove to find two grilled cheese sandwiches and a bowl of homemade tomato soup. I grabbed both plates and a spoon and went over to the table. Edward pulled out a chair for me and sat down next to me. I began eating and halfway through noticed him looking at me.

"Is there something wrong?" I asked.

"No. Why do you ask?"

"You're watching me eat."

"Oh, I'll stop if it's bothering you."

"No, it's fine. I just didn't realize it was so fascinating."

"Believe me, Bella, everything about you is fascinating."

I had no comment for that so I went back to eating. Once I was done, I rinsed the dishes and turned back to Edward.

"So, what's the plan for the rest of the evening?"

"I'm pretty sure Alice and Rose want to do something with you." He informed me.

"Edward, no! You said no makeovers!" I whined.

"As far as I know there are no makeovers in the plans." He chuckled.

"If there are, I'm coming after you." I said, moving closer to him. Maybe too close, because I heard his breath hitch.

"Should I be afraid?" He asked, gracing me with his crooked grin.

"Very much so." I replied.

"Bella! Get your pretty little behind over here. We have things to do!" I heard Alice yell. I turned towards her voice.

"I'm coming!" I yelled back "I just don't know where you're at!"

"I'll show you." Edward whispered in my ear, sending shivers down my spine. He then placed his hand on the smalls of my back and guided me towards where Alice was. I had to make sure my breathing was nice and even. What in the world was going on with me? Probably the stress of the day was making me crazy.

"Rose, Bella. My bedroom. Now!" I heard Alice yell from upstairs.

"Better not make her wait. Let's go, Bella." Rose said pulling me along.

"Alice, dear, you promised to show me the rest of the house." I tried to stall.

"Of course, Bella. Silly of me to forget about that." Alice replied, giving me a look. She knew what I was doing. Yea, well, take that.

"So, let's start from the back since we're going to come back to my room anyways."

"Your room? I thought your husband was also living there." Rose piped in. I snickered.

"Rose, don't start something you can't finish. Trust me, just drop it." Alice said smugly. And then she turned to me. "Alright, Bella, this is Carlisle's study slash library." She said, opening the very last door.

The room was very Carlisle. Walls were covered in bookshelves, which were filled to full capacity. The décor was done a classical style and I assumed some of the pieces were originals. There were desks filled with different instruments and measuring cups. There was a large window, which didn't surprise me at all.

The next room was Esme's and Carlisle's bedroom. It was gorgeous. Their bed had a headboard that had beautiful carvings on it. The whole room gave off an atmosphere of peace and love. Esme's done a wonderful job with it.

Across the hall was Rose's and Emmett's room. Alice didn't even have to tell me because I could tell from the decorations. Their room was done in red and beige color scheme. It was very Rose. I guess Emmett didn't really care about the décor.

Alice's bedroom was amazing. The walls were done in white and brown colors. There was a neat chandelier hanging from the ceiling. The bedding was done in brown and gold. It looked very modern.

"Alice, I love your bedroom. Well, yours and Jasper's." I gushed.

"Thank you, my dear. I had to make sure Jazzy would be comfortable in here. Now wait until you see the bathroom." She said, dragging me along. I looked back at Rose for help but she only smiled at me.

She was not kidding. The bathroom screamed Alice. It was done in Moroccan style, with purple walls and hot pink cabinets. The total package looked incredible. I had to give Alice credit-she had an eye for putting together unique color combinations. I complimented on her taste. She beamed at me. If that's all it took to make her happy, I will do it more often from now on. Happy Alice was too adorable.

We went back to the bedroom to find a very bored Rose.

"Finally! I thought you would take forever in the bathroom. So, Alice, what's on the agenda?" She asked.

"I was thinking manis and padis. Maybe a makeover for a certain human?" Alice turned to look at me with an evil smile on her face.

"Oh no you don't! There will be no makeovers tonight or anything else for that matter!" I had to stand my ground.

"But Bella! I have everything ready!" Alice whined.

"Alice, it's late. I have school tomorrow. I really need my sleep after today." I didn't like playing the guilt card but it was necessary at the moment. Alice looked so crushed that I actually felt bad. Dang it, I couldn't say no to her.

"How about this-I'll come over to your house some other day and you can do a makeover then."

"Yes! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Alice was now jumping up and down.

"Calm down, Alice. Let's show Bella her room so she can get to sleep." Rose spoke up.

I was led to the third floor, into the guestroom. Turned out I was sharing the floor with Edward. His room was just down the hall. And there was only one bathroom, which meant we'd have to share. Personally, I had no problem with that. I just wasn't sure what he thought of it.

I said good night to Alice and Rose and went to settle in. I felt so exhausted that before I knew it, I was asleep. I was having the nightmare again. Only this time, it was more vivid. I was back in Phoenix and I was standing at the top of the stairs. At the bottom of the stairs Renee was lying in the pool of blood. Close to her was Phil. I felt James dragging me to my room again. I was screaming and trying to fight him off when I felt someone shake me. I was still screaming when I opened my eyes and saw Edward. He was the one trying to wake me up. I launched myself at him, clinging tightly to him. I felt sobs shake my body.

"Shhh…It's okay. It's over now. You're safe." Edward kept whispering me, keeping a tight grip on me. He then proceeded to rub my back soothingly. I was able to calm down after a few minutes.

"I'm so sorry for waking you up." I whispered my voice hoarse from screaming.

"It's alright. Were you having a nightmare?"

"Yes. I've had it ever since the attack. It's the repeat of what happened in Phoenix on Christmas. I guess the memories were still fresh in my mind and the nightmare was more vivid."

"I'm sorry you had to go through that again." He looked sad.

"No, I wanted to. It felt great to tell it to someone." I slowly moved away from him. "Thank you for checking up on me." I gave him a small smile.

"You're welcome. I guess I should let you go back to sleep." He slowly got up from the bed and walked over to the door.

"Wait. Could you please stay with me until I fall asleep?" I didn't want to be alone.

He turned around and got back on the bed. He stretched out on the other side of me. Without asking for permission, I laid my head on his shoulder. I felt him stiffen for a moment and then he wrapped his arm around me. I closed my eyes and the last thing I remembered was Edward humming a lullaby.

I woke up to an empty bed. I guess Edward must have gone back to his room after I feel asleep. I quickly got dressed and went to the bathroom to wash up. Once I was done, I went back to the room, made up the bed, and collected all of my things. I heard commotion downstairs and decided it was time to join them. I slowly descended down stairs so that I wouldn't hurt myself. When I walked into the kitchen, I found everyone with the exception of Carlisle present. I said good morning to everyone.

"Did you sleep well, Bella?" Esme asked with motherly concern.

"I did, thank you. I'm sorry if I woke anyone up with my screaming." I said. I heard them chuckle. I don't get it, what was so funny about that? Sensing my confusion, Jasper spoke up.

"We don't sleep, Bella. So don't worry about that."

"Oh. But you have beds."

"We don't use them for sleeping." Emmett said.

I stared at him for a second and then the implication of what he said hit me. My cheeks turned red.

"Emmett! Be nice to Bella. Here, honey, I made you some breakfast." Esme said, handing me a place with eggs, bacon, and toast.

"Esme, you shouldn't have."

"I don't mind. It gives me an excuse to use the kitchen."

"That's right; you guys don't eat human food. Thank you so much for this. And last night's food was delicious."

"I'm glad you liked it. Have a wonderful day at school, Bella. And as for the rest of you-behave. Especially you, Emmett." And with that, she left.

I quickly finished breakfast and all of us exited the house. I headed towards the truck only to find Rose waiting for me.

"Hey, could I ride with you?"

"Absolutely." I said, excited to have someone with me.

"Could I drive?" She asked. I nodded yes. I got into the passenger side and she pulled out of the driveway.

"Bella, I wanted to tell you a little bit about myself. I'm not sure how much Edward told you about me."

"You were added to the family after Esme and Carlisle hoped you would become a companion for Edward." I was still a bit unsettled about that revelation.

"I hope you don't think anything of it. Carlisle had the best of intentions at heart. I mean, Edward and I couldn't stand each other from the beginning."

"Rose, I'm not upset with you over that. I mean, Edward and I are just friends, nothing more." Why did that hurt so much to say, though?

"Oh, okay. Anyways, I was born in high society. My parents were rich and I got everything I ever wanted. I grew up into a very beautiful woman and was constantly praised for my beauty. I'll be honest, it all went to my head. I was very proud of my good looks. Yes, I was arrogant. I had many suitors. I was most intrigued by one man-Royce King. He was also an heir to his parents' fortune. I accepted his proposal and we were to be married in a few months. When we were together, he was a perfect gentleman. He never hit me or raised his voice. I thought I had it all. One night, I was visiting a dear friend of mine. I didn't realize how late it was and hurried home. On my way, I passed a tavern and saw Royce and his friends come out. He called out to me and I turned around and went to him. I could smell the alcohol on his breath. He grabbed me and dragged me into one of the alleys. He trapped me against a wall and started ripping at my clothes. I was crying and begging him to stop. I heard his friends laughing. Royce hit me and told me to be quiet. He threw me on the ground and then raped me. After he was done, he kept hitting me. I was in and out of conciseness for the most part but I do remember him telling his friends to have their turn with me. They did. All of them kept beating me and then they left me there, bleeding to death. That's when Carlisle found me. He knew I was dying and he took pity on me." She turned to look at me. I was crying.

"Rose, I'm so sorry. That bastard got away with it, didn't he?" I asked angrily.

"He did with the authorities but not with me. I took my time with him before I killed him." She looked at me again, weighing my reaction.

"Good. At least you had the satisfaction of knowing he will never hurt you ever again."

"Believe me, Bella, the guy who did this to you will never touch you. Our family will make sure of that." Rose reached out to pat me on the shoulder.

"Thanks."

I noticed we were now in the parking lot. I wiped my tears away and got out of the truck. I found the rest of the Cullens waiting for us in the parking lot. I hugged Rose and together we made our way towards them.

My day went by exceptionally well. It was as if a huge weight was lifted off my chest. I liked this new feeling. I was grateful to Edward and the rest of the Cullens for sticking with me. I was all smiles when I came back home.

"Well, you look like you're in a good mood." Charlie commented.

"I am. Just give me a minute to change and I'll get dinner started."

"Take your time, Bells. There's a game on."

After about an hour, I called Charlie to come eat. We chatted about different things and he mentioned Jacob calling. Once I was done eating and cleaning the table, I dialed Jake's number.

"Hello?"

"Hey Billy! This is Bella. Is Jake home?"

"Oh, hello Bella. Yea, he's around. Just give me a minute." I thanked him and waited patiently.

"Bells!" An extremely cheerful Jacob picked up the phone.

"Hey Jake. What's up?"

"Not much. I just miss you. So does Leah and Seth. We haven't seen you in a while." He said, sounding hurt.

"Jake, I saw you guys two weeks ago."

"Yea, but two weeks is such a long time!" He whined.

"Okay, Jacob. You tell Leah and Seth that I'll come over on Saturday. Is that okay, you big baby?"

"Yes! I'll let them know. Can't wait to see you. Bye, Bells." And he hung up. Drama queen.

Friday morning I got a big surprise in the form of Edward Cullen standing at the front door

"Good morning, Bella." He was way too cheerful this early in the morning.

"Good morning, Edward. Am I missing something?"

"Well, after Rose drove your truck, she came to a conclusion that it wasn't safe to drive around. She wants to fix it for you. She picked it after your father left for work. She wants to work on it over the weekend. "

"Would've been nice if someone informed me." I said feeling left out.

"That's what I'm doing right now. And I figured you'd need a ride to school." He said with a smile. I couldn't stay mad him even if I tried.

"Okay. I just don't want to inconvenience anyone."

"Trust me, you're not. "

We walked over to his car and he opened the door for me. When I got in, I recognized the song.

"Claire de Lune." I whispered.

"You know Debussy?" Edward said in surprise.

"I only know my favorites."

"It's one of my favorites also." The crooked grin made its first appearance of the day.

The drive to school was spent in a comfortable silence. I was glad to know that we didn't need to be talking all the time in order to feel comfortable around each other. Maybe this friendship thing would work out.

The second surprise of the day happened during lunch. I took my usual seat with the Cullens. Edward was missing. Apparently, he was running late or something. Alice didn't go into any details. Although, she did have a mischievous smile on her face, she must be up to something. Come to think of it, all of them were looking quite pleased with themselves. What was up with them? Shaking off the feeling of paranoia, I thanked Rose for my truck. She just shrugged and said that it would give her a chance to play with another toy. I smiled at her and turned to Jasper.

I was in yet another deep debate with Jasper when I heard a chair scrape against the floor. I looked over to see Edward sitting down with a tray of food. I knew he wouldn't be eating so why did he have food? Before I could ask, he slid the tray over to me. I gave him a confused look.

"Food for the human." He said with another crooked grin.

"You know, I resent that. Plus, I am more than capable of getting my own food." I tried to sound offended. It was a bit difficult since he was dazzling me yet again.

"I know that but I thought it would be a nice gesture." He was pouting at me. That just made me giggle.

"Thank you, Edward. That was very sweet of you." His smile lit up the room. Emmett got his attention and he turned away from me.

I looked down at the tray and saw that he picked out my favorite food. He must have been paying attention to what I selected each day. I was surprised because I don't remember him doing that before. I was pretty sure that he was ignoring me in the beginning.

I took a bite out of pizza and noticed Edward looking at me.

"What? Do I have something on my face?" I asked, reaching for a napkin.

"No. I'm just wondering how you can eat that." He scrunched up his nose.

"Are you kidding me? Pizza is the best thing in this cafeteria. Here, try it!" I said, bringing my slice closer to his mouth. He arched his eyebrow at me.

"Don't tell me the invincible Edward is afraid of a small bite of pizza!" I teased. I heard a collective "Oooh" from the rest of the Cullens. Edward smirked at me and took a bite. He made sure I saw how disgusted he was. I giggled like a little schoolgirl at him.

"See, now that wasn't that hard!" And I took a bite out of the same slice, not even thinking about it. I saw Edward staring at me. I just shrugged and went back to eating.

I returned to my previous thought. It seemed our relationship has changed drastically. He was actually being nice to me. I mean, he made sure I had a ride to school today, got me lunch, and even took on my challenge. If you would've told me a few weeks ago that I would be friends with Edward Cullen, I would laugh at your face. I never thought that he would turn out to be a sweet person.

My thoughts were interrupted by a light tapping on my shoulder. I looked at a hand that could only belong to one person.

"Did you need something, Edward?"

"No, but Alice has been trying to get your attention for a few moments now." He chuckled.

"Oh, I'm so sorry Alice!" I quickly turned to her

"No biggie. I just wanted to talk about prom." And she launched into her little lecture. I could still feel Edward's hand on my shoulder.

Alice kept going on and on about different things and I kept nodding in agreement. I honestly didn't care that much about prom but Alice did get me to agree to go. I was pretty sure they would be doing couples thing, which left me all by myself. Well, not all by myself, there was always Edward. Just saying his name in my head brought a warm feeling. I knew I was attracted to him, there was no doubt. I mean, look at him-he's perfect. I still didn't' understand why he wanted to be my friend.

"Bella, I can't wait for you to see your dress!" Alice exclaimed, bringing me back to reality.

"I'm sure it's beautiful. You have impeccable taste, Alice." I said.

"Thanks!" She turned to Edward. "So, Edward, you never told us about your trip to Denali."

"There's not much to tell, Alice."

"Oh yes there is. Especially when the sisters are involved." Alice kept pushing on.

Sisters? I was all ears now.

"Drop it, Alice." Edward growled.

"Oh, come on. I'm sure Tanya was her usual self." Emmett piped in.

"Tanya?" I asked, feeling a sting of jealousy.

"Yes! Oh, Bella, it's the funniest thing ever. So, as you know, Edward went to Alaska. We have friends in Denali-a family of sisters. There's Irina, Kate, and Tanya. Irina lives with her mate Laurent and Kate with Garrett. So that leaves Tanya as a single one. Just like our Eddie here." Alice turned to Edward and winked. He just scowled at her. "Anyways, during our first visit, Tanya decided that her and Edward should be together. She tried every trick in the book. I mean, that girl was persistent. Poor Eddie had to hide in the forest for two days! Of course, he wasn't that lucky. Tanya found him on the second day. I don't know how he escaped her but when he got to the house, he demanded that we leave." She was laughing hard by this point. Everyone else joined in, even Edward. Me, I just wanted to strangle this Tanya. How dare she go after my Edward!

Wait, back up, did I just say my Edward? When did this happen? I mean, we're just friends, right? It's not like I thought about him all the time or wanted to stay in his arms throughout the night. Aah, crap. Who am I kidding? I'm totally wrapped up in him. It all started out innocent enough-me wondering where he was during those weeks of absence, hearing about him from Alice. It all peaked my interest and made me determined to find out more about him. And here I am in love with Edward! Stupid, stupid Bella.

"Bella, are you okay?" I heard Edward ask me. He tightened his grip on my shoulder.

I quickly glanced up to see Jasper looking at me. Oh no, he probably figured it out. I mean, he could feel all of my emotions. I needed to get out.

"Bella?" Edward sounded a bit worried.

"Yea, I'm okay. I, uh, I just need to go somewhere." I quickly stood up and ran to the bathroom. I think I heard someone call out my name but I didn't slow down.

Once I reached the bathroom, I closed the door and leaned against it. This was so stupid of me. Here I was, finally living my life and I go and fall in love with Edward.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid." I kept saying and banging my head against the door. Tears kept flowing down my face and I made no effort to wipe them down.

"Bella?"

"Just leave me alone, Jasper."

"You want to tell what happened?" He was very persistent.

"No." I was very stubborn.

"I know exactly how you feel." I swear I could hear him smile.

"Ha ha, very funny, Jasper. You're just a regular comedian, aren't you?"

"Come on, Bella. Just tell me what's going on." He kept pressing on.

"What's going on is that a very stupid girl fell in love with a guy who only wants to be friends. That's what happened!" I nearly shouted.

"Can you please come out?" Jasper pleaded. "And there's no point of shouting. I can hear you just fine."

Oh crap, that he heard me too! Great, as if it could get any worse.

I quickly wiped my face, opened the door and slowly stepped out of the bathroom.

"There you are." A very cheerful Jasper stood right outside the door.

"So does that mean Edward knows now too?"

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"Super hearing."

"Oh. No, he left the table when you did. He actually wanted to go after you but I told him not to. So he got mad and ran out of the cafeteria. Alice went after him."

"Why would he go after me?"

"He thinks he did something to upset you."

"Of course he did. He always assumes the worst, doesn't he?"

"That's Edward for you." Jasper chuckled. "But seriously, Bella, don't worry about anything."

"Yea, easy for you to say." I said bitterly.

"Trust me, I have a feeling everything will work out."

"I thought only Alice could see the future." I joked.

"I don't need to see the future to know certain things."

"I will hold that against you." I poked him in the chest.

"Alright, can we go back to the cafeteria now?" I nodded and we started walking.

The moment we stepped in, I heard whispering. I looked around to see everyone talking in hushed tones. I guess they enjoyed my performance. I silently took my seat and kept staring at the table.

"So according to the latest gossip, you and Edward had a huge fight and just broke up. I didn't know you two were dating. As your unofficial big brother, I am hurt that you didn't tell me." I looked up to see Emmett looking at me with big sad eyes.

"We're not. We're just friends. Let me guess, Lauren just came up with that?"

"Who else? So you're telling me there's nothing going on between you two?"

"No, Emmett. Like I said, we're just friends." The word friends now made me sick. I wanted to be so much more.

"But he did take you to the meadow." Rose piped in. My face must have given away my confusion because she continued. "He never takes any one there. The place is off limits for us."

"I'm sure it was nothing." I said, refusing to hope for anything.

"Okay. You want to tell me what happened at the table?" Rose asked.

"Why even bother. I'm sure you've heard it all." I could feel the tears threatening to spill again.

"Oh, sweetie. It will be alright. Everything will work out." She said soothingly. Rose then got up and sat next to me, enveloping me in a hug. I whispered a thank you to her.

"Hey, that's my job." Emmett shouted. I laughed at him. Only Emmett would get upset over something like that.

The bell rang, signifying the end of lunch. I gathered my things and said my goodbyes. I decided to go to nurse's office so I could go home. Charlie picked me up and I told him I was having a bad day. I didn't feel like listening to Lauren or her minions today. At least tomorrow I'll be going to La Push. Maybe I'll be able to forget about this mess.


	11. Chapter 11

Saturday turned out to be a bright sunny day. From the moment I opened my eyes and saw the sun, my spirits were lifted up. I quickly got ready and headed downstairs. Charlie was already downstairs, wearing his uniform. He told me he had to go to Port Angeles for the day. He dropped me off near Black's house.

When I made it to Jake's house, I was greeted by an extremely giddy Leah. She ran up to me and hugged me with so much force that I instantly thought of Emmett.

"Well, hello to you too. I see you're in a great mood today."

"The sun is shining and the birds are singing. How can you be in a bad mood?" She asked with a big smile.

"Uumm, I'm sorry to break it to you, Leah, but I'm not hearing any birds. Maybe you should get your hearing checked out. Where are the boys?"

"Jake and Seth are grilling. We're having some people over. You've met Sam at the bonfire. He's bringing his girlfriend with him."

"Oh, cool. Do I know her?"

"Yea, my cousin Emily."

"Really? Is that why Sam ran off after meeting me?"

"Yes. Those two are inseparable." Leah chuckled.

"Aha, reminds me of another couple." I nudged her. I saw something reflect off of her left hand. I looked down for a closer inspection and saw an engagement ring.

"Leah!" I screamed. "Why didn't you say anything earlier?" I enveloped her in a hug.

"I was going to but then we changed subject." She was beaming.

"Congratulations! Oh my goodness, I can't believe you're getting married. Where's that big lug? I need to congratulate him too."

"Follow me." And she skipped to where Jake and Seth were at.

Before Jake could say anything, I gave him a bone crushing hug.

"I take it Leah told you." He laughed.

"Not really but either way, congratulations."

"Okay, you can let me go now. I need to keep an eye on the meat."

"Sorry, I didn't realize you were a world renowned chef." I joked and stepped away from Jake.

"And what am I, rotten tomatoes?" Seth whined. I laughed and gave him a hug. All was well with the world.

"So, Bella and I will go down to the beach. We need to have a girl talk. Let us know when the food is ready." Leah said, dragging me away. It took us a couple of minutes to get down to the beach. The moment we were out of the hearing distance, she turned me so I would be facing her.

"Alright, spill." Leah said, surprising me.

"What?" I was confused. I thought we were going to talk about the wedding.

"Don't play with me Swan. You got this glow about you that only a girl in love has. Trust me, I know. So who is it?"

Dang it, she was good.

"It's someone from school." I said, not giving too much away.

"Really, Bella? How dumb do you think I am? Of course it's someone from school. Do I know him?"

"I'm not sure. Do you know the Cullens?"

"Yes! Which one is he? I mean, it doesn't matter. All of them are gorgeous."

"Edward?" Maybe she would leave me alone after this.

"Well, I don't know them by name, I just saw them. Give me a description."

I groaned.

"Don't make me use force, Bella." I gave her a skeptical look. "Just ask Seth."

"Fine! He's the one with red hair. Only it's not really red, more like copper. And he's ridiculously good looking and so sweet." I gushed.

"Honey, you have it bad. But good choice though." She hugged me yet again.

"I wouldn't say it was a choice. I don't know what's going to happen though. I mean, we're just friends."

"Oh, so you're not together?"

"No. I mean, you saw him. And look at me! I'm as plain as it gets. I'm pale, got brown hair and brown eyes. I'm just an average girl." I said bitterly.

"Bella, how can you say that? Any guy would be lucky to have you. And if this Edward is smart, he will hold on to you. Trust me."

"Thanks, Leah. It's so good to talk to someone other than Charlie." I smiled.

"Hey, that's what friends are for right? Oh, before I forget. I would love for you to be my bridesmaid. Would you, please?" She was giving me puppy dog eyes.

"Of course! I would love to. When is the wedding?"

"Not any time soon. We're thinking next year." She was about to say something else but was caught off my Seth telling us to come back.

When we got back to the house, I noticed Sam and Emily. We greeted each other and girls went into the house to set everything up. The rest of the night was spent laughing and reminiscing about the good old days.

My truck magically reappeared in my driveway on Monday morning. Oh, they were good.

Today was my big day. I needed to talk to Edward about the cafeteria incident. Of course, since I had something important to do, the first half of the day was dragging by. Finally lunch came around and I headed towards my table only to find him missing.

"He's avoiding me again." It wasn't a question. "Where is he hiding this time?" I looked over to Alice. If anyone would tell me it would be her. I can always threaten her with no makeovers and shopping for Bella. Ah, it's good to have a secret weapon against someone.

"You wouldn't dare, Bella." Alice hissed.

"Try me!" I challenged.

"Fine!" She huffed. "If you must know, he's in the library. Happy?"

"You have no idea." I started walking away but remembered something else. "Thanks for fixing my truck, Rose. It runs like a dream now." I threw her a quick smile and headed towards the library.

I found him quickly enough. After all, there's only one spot where a vampire can find some peace and quiet. He was listening to music but I knew he heard me. My heart always betrayed me.

"So you want to tell me what's going on?" I asked.

"Why would you think something was going on?" He wasn't making this easy.

"Oh, I don't know. You're avoiding me again." I leaned down to be on the same eye level with him. "You know you're wrong."

"About what exactly?"

"Friday. Cafeteria. Me, freaking out. You, blaming yourself. Ring any bells?"

"Who said it wasn't my fault." He leaned in closer.

"I did. Because if I had a problem with you, I would let you know. Give me some credit, Edward."

He kept staring at me, searching my face for something. He must have found what he was looking for because he smiled at me. I smiled back. I reached out and grabbed his hand. The jolt of electricity ran up my arm. He looked down at our hands. I was never the first one to initiate physical contact. Not when I was fully awake anyway.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"I'm trying to get you up from the chair." I huffed, tugging his arm.

"You do realize you won't be able to do it."

"Yes, Edward, I know that. Maybe if you would cooperate, this would go a lot faster."

"Ask nicely." He taunted me.

"Edward, can you be a sweetheart and please get up?" I asked in a mockingly sweet voice

"As you wish." He said, getting up from his seat and grabbing his things.

We headed towards cafeteria together. Neither one of us let go of our hands. I liked it more than I should have. I figured I would take whatever I could get at this point.

When we made it to the table, Edward pulled out my chair. I thanked him and took my seat. We were still holding hands. None of his siblings said anything about it and so we went about our usual conversation. I was hyperaware of Edward's presence. No matter who I was talking to, my body was always angled towards him. When he turned his head to talk to someone else at the table, I stole a quick glance. He seemed to be in the same position. Suddenly, he lifted our hands and placed in on his knee. His thumb started rubbing soothing circles on my hand. I smiled and saw him smile also. Mondays were definitely my favorite!

After lunch, we headed to Biology together. Just as I sat down, I heard someone clear their throat. I looked up to see Mike Newton standing extremely close to me.

"Hey Mike. Did you need something?" I asked in a polite voice.

"Hey! Yea, there's something I wanted to ask you. You know, prom is two weeks away and I know no one asked you to go yet. So I was wondering if you wanted to go with me."

I was looking at him with a shocked expression. First of all, how did he know no one asked me? Second of all, how in the world did he decide that I would like to go with him? And thirdly, did he not see me and Edward holding hands at lunch? Granted it didn't mean anything but he didn't know that. I was still gaping at him when I felt a cold hand cover mine. The now familiar shock went through my body.

"I'm sorry Mike but Bella won't be able to go with you. She's going with me." He looked over to me and smiled. The only thing I could do was smile back.

I heard Mike mumble something under his breath but I didn't even bother acknowledging it. I thanked Edward for saving me and was disappointed when he removed his hand from mine. I think my Mondays were not as good as I thought they were.

On Friday, Alice informed me of another sleepover. I tried to fight her about it, saying it was on such short notice. Apparently, she went behind my back and talked to Charlie. She was lucky my dad liked her so much. I was told to go home and grab the necessities and meet her at the house. She was a bossy little pixie.

When I arrived at Cullens, I saw Rose's car missing. I was greeted by Esme at the door. Not a moment later, Edward came down the stairs.

"Alice and Rose went to get supplies, as she told me." He said, taking my bag from me.

"What about Emmett and Jasper?"

"They didn't have a choice."

"What did she mean by supplies?" I was very suspicious. I knew today would be a makeover night but she had so much stuff already.

"You don't want to know."

I gulped. He laughed.

"Laugh it up, Edward. I still blame you."

"Hey, I was not the one to make a deal with Alice. You should've known better." He defended himself.

We were now standing in the middle of the guestroom. Edward put down my bag by the bed and headed towards the door.

"Hey," I called out. "Would you mind keeping me company until Alice comes back?"

"Of course." He stepped back to me. "I've never shown you my room. Would you like to see it?"

I nodded. I was all giddy on the inside. He was going to show me his room!

He opened the door for me and I stepped in, letting out a gasp. His room was beautiful. The left wall was covered in ceiling to floor windows, revealing a breathtaking view of nature. On the opposite side, shelf after shelf of CDs covered the wall. He had some expensive looking entertainment center. A black leather couch was situated in the middle of the room.

"So this is it." He broke the silence.

"You room is amazing, Edward. I bet the view is breathtaking in the morning." I turned around to look at him.

"I believe it's more breathtaking right now."

My breath hitched and I blushed. It felt like he was looking straight into my soul. I quickly looked away and made my way over to the player.

"What are you listening to?" I asked and pushed play. The familiar sound of Claire De Lune filled the room. I looked back him and raised my eyebrow in silent question.

"I told you it was my favorite."

"Mmm. Do you listen to it often?" I asked.

"I've begun to, recently." He moved closer to me, taking both of my hands in his. "It reminds me of you." He confessed.

"Me too." I whispered.

"Dance with me?" He asked, moving my hands in the right position. We started to slowly sway from side to side. Edward then spun me around and brought me back in. My cheek was situated against his chest and I breathed in his scent. It was honey and lilac. Beautiful. Just like him.

The song kept playing and we kept swaying together. I was now wondering why I couldn't tell him how I felt about him. Why was it so difficult to say those words out loud? Just three little words. I love you.

I heard his breath stop and he stopped dead in his tracks. I pushed myself away a bit so I could look at his face. He was looking at me with a look of surprise on his face. Did I do something? I know I didn't say anything. Unless…No! I said it out loud.

I quickly stepped away, putting more distance between us. He kept staring at me.

"Edward, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…I'm sorry. I'm gonna go…downstairs." I kept mumbling, trying to open the door.

"You're sorry you love me?" He asked, hurt evident in his voice.

"No. No!" I almost screamed, making my way back to him. "I'm not sorry for that. Never." I reached up to touch his face. "You're the best thing that happened in my life. I know you just want be friends and if that's all we can be, I'll be more than happy with that. I don't have any expect…" He put his finger on my mouth to silence me.

"So you're not sorry?" He repeated his question.

I shook my head "No".

"Good." He smiled and removed his finger. "Because I don't want to be sorry either."

It took me a moment to process what he was saying. I looked at him in disbelief. Did he just say he loved me?

He chuckled at my expression. "I love you, Isabella Swan."

I jumped up and wrapped my arms around his neck. He quickly wrapped his hands around my waist to hold me in place.

"I love you. I love you. I love you." I kept whispering into his shoulder. Edward just laughed and spun me around. He then put me down on the floor but kept his hands on my waist.

"You have no idea how good it feels to finally say it out loud." I beamed at him.

"And you have no idea how good it feels to finally hear you say it. When you're awake anyways."

"Wait, what?" I was confused. "You heard me say it in my sleep? When?" I kept asking.

"Sunday night." He looked ashamed.

"You were in my room?" I squeaked.

"There's no good way of saying this so I will just say it." He looked away. "I've been watching over you, making sure you were safe."

"You were watching me sleep?" I clarified.

He nodded. I reached for his face, making me face him.

"For how long?" I needed to know.

"Right after the incident at Port Angeles." He was waiting for my reaction.

I had to think about it for a minute. That's when I first dreamt of him. And that's when my nightmares began to fade away. I voiced my last thought. No need to tell him I've dreamt of him.

"My presence helped?" He was surprised by this information.

"Yes." I smiled, knowing he was the reason behind my peace. I leaned into him, resting my cheek against his chest again. In turn, Edward leaned down and rested his cheek on top of my head. I sighed in contempt. This was surreal. It's like I've been waiting for him my whole life and he was finally here.

"You have no idea how long I've waited for you." I heard him whisper. I tightened my arms around him. He broke our embrace first and took a step back to look at him.

"There's something I've been waiting to try for some time now." He brought his face closer to mine. "I need you to stay still, okay?"

I nodded because I lost my voice. I knew what he was going to do. He was going to kiss me. So I stayed still and watched his face get closer and closer. I closed my eyes and waited. I didn't have to wait long. His cold lips touched mine and the familiar spark of electricity ran down my whole body. That's when I lost control. I sharply inhaled and raised myself to get closer to him. My hands moved on their own accord, reaching the back of his neck and latching on to his hair. Our lips were moving in synchronization. I let out a small sigh against his lips. I felt his hands tighten on me and felt a growl vibrate through his body and mine.

Edward walked me backwards and my legs hit the couch. I fell back, dragging him down with me. We never broke apart. He was now on top of me, supporting his weight with his hands. Our lips kept moving more and more frantically. I arched my back to get closer to him. And that's when I felt him jump away. I quickly sat up and steadied myself. Apparently I forgot about the importance of air during our kiss and was now feeling dizzy.

I looked up to find Edward in the very back of his room. What was wrong?

"I'm sorry. I got carried away." He said guilt laced in his words.

"It's alright. You weren't the only one." I smiled encouragingly.

"I can never lose control with you, Bella. I could never live with myself if I hurt you." He cast down his eyes.

I quickly jumped off the couch and went over to him.

"You won't hurt me, I know that. So don't even think that way." I took his hand in mine. He gave me a small smile.

"Alice is home." I groaned and Edward laughed at my reaction.

"I guess I have to go take my punishment." I said grimly.

We made our way downstairs to find the four of them sitting in the living room. We ended up standing next to each other. I wasn't sure if he wanted to tell his family about us yet.

"Hello, Bella. Edward. Did you guys have a good time?" Alice winked at me. Rose gave me an all knowing look. I poked my tongue out at them. Their musical laugh filled the room.

"Am I missing something?" Emmett asked.

"So what did you buy?" I asked Alice before anyone could say anything.

"Well, let's see. I got couple of masks, some creams and finishing sprays. Oooh, also hair products. We're going to make you beautiful, Bella." She finished and I flinched.

"More like you're going to torture me."

"You know, Alice," Edward spoke up, hugging me from behind and placing his chin on my shoulder. "I think Bella is already beautiful and I love her just the way she is."

I felt shivers run down my spine from his words. I knew he felt it and turned to give him a smile. I leaned back into Edward, put my hand on top of his, and waited for everyone's reaction. Alice was first, squealing at the top of her lungs, followed by Rose. Edward hushed them. Jasper was wearing an all knowing smile. I guess he could feel this one coming. I heard Esme rush out of the kitchen. Emmett was the last one.

All of the sudden, both Edward and I were in the middle of a group hug. I kept hearing "Congratulation" and "It's about time" from all of the sides.

"Okay, human here. Need some breathing room."

"Oh, sorry, Bella. You have no idea how good it's finally to see you two together. And you took your time, too." Alice spoke up.

"Wait, what? You mean you've known all along?" I asked, surprised by her revelation.

"Well, of course. Psychic, remember?" She said, tapping her forehead.

"A little warning would've been nice." I grumbled.

"Ah, but where's the fun in that? It was so adorable to watch you two be in denial." She walked over and dragged me away. "You've had your time with her, now she's mine." And with that, she started pulling me upstairs. "And don't even think about running away. I've seen this. You're getting a makeover."

I groaned in response. This was going to be a long night.


	12. Chapter 12

On the way to the second floor I tripped couple of times, which earned Alice a warning growl from Edward. She just laughed it off but hooked her arm around mine to make sure I didn't fall. I asked her if growling was a usual occurrence.

"No, he only does it when it comes to you." Rose laughed. I shot her a dirty look. I didn't like people making fun of Edward, even if she was family. Goodness, when did I become so possessive?

"Alright, Alice, bring on the torture." I said once we were inside her bedroom.

"You make it sound so bad." She pouted.

"What can I say- I'm not your typical girl."

"Yes, I've noticed." She grumbled.

"So, Bella, I guess you and Edward are official now?" Rose said, changing the subject.

"I guess so. I mean, we haven't talked about that yet. I wasn't planning on telling him how I felt. It just sort of slipped out."

"Wait, he didn't tell you first?" She exclaimed.

"No." I said, confused by her reaction.

"Pay up, Blondie." Alice said, extending her hand towards Rose.

"You bet on us?" I half yelled.

"Well, yes. I mean, you two were dancing around each other for weeks. We just wanted to have some fun." Rose said apologetically.

I was staring at them in shock. I mean, I could see Emmett doing this but not them two.

"It was Emmett's idea." Alice quipped.

"Just wait until I get my hands on him." I mumbled, getting up and going towards the door.

"He's not home." Rose said. "The boys went hunting."

"Oh, he's lucky." I walked back to the bed. "When will they get back?" Feeling the separation anxiety creep up on me.

"Don't worry; they'll be back in couple of hours. You'll see your precious Edward soon enough." Alice said, batting her eyelashes at me. That earned her a slap.

"Alright, let's get this show on the road." Alice exclaimed, gathering all of bags. The next couple of hours are going to drag by.

Sometime in between the manis and padis, Esme walked in and offered me dinner. I was more than happy to take a break and followed her to the kitchen. Couple of minutes later, Alice and Rose came to join me.

"Bella, I wanted to have you and your father over for dinner tomorrow." She said tentatively.

"I think that's a great idea! I'll talk to Charlie tomorrow."

"I've already spoke with him-he agreed."

"Oh." Was my brilliant reply.

"I hope that's okay. I should've asked you first. I'm sorry, Bella." Esme came over to my side.

"No, you have nothing to apologize for, Esme. Thank you for taking care of that." I hugged her. I felt like she was becoming my second mother. Not that Renee could ever be replaced but it was nice to have someone in Forks.

"Will you need any help tomorrow?" I asked, hoping to diffuse the awkward moment.

"Not at all. I'm just glad to hear you agree to it." She smiled at me. How could you not love this woman?

"Now girls, you know what it means for you two." She turned to Rose and Alice.

"Yes, Esme. We'll clean up and set the table." Alice answered.

"And I'll tell Emmett to be on his best behavior." Rose added.

"Oh yea, how do you expect to do that?" I asked. She raised her eyebrow as if the answer should've been obvious. And then it hit me. The three of them laughed at my reaction.

"I'm going to go to the grocery store to get everything for tomorrow. You girls have fun."

I quickly cleaned up after myself and the three of us headed back upstairs. I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to ask them what I've been confused about for some time.

"Umm…I have a question I was hoping you two would answer for me." I started out, unsure of their reaction.

"Sure, go ahead." Rose said.

"Edward mentioned something about vampires and mates. I was just wondering what it all meant exactly."

"In the human world, if you fall in love with someone, it doesn't necessarily mean that you will stay with that person for the rest of your life. For vampires, it's quite different. Once we find that person, soul mate if you will, we will love them for the rest of our existence. We mate for life. Our feelings run a lot deeper than human." Alice explained.

"So how long did it take you to find your mates?" I was curious to know the answer.

"The moment I saw Emmett, I knew he was the one for me." Rose answered.

"And I've had visions of Jasper even before I met him. And Carlisle knew Esme was the one for him from the first moment he saw her." Alice continued.

"So that means Edward knew…" I trailed off.

"He knew you were special, he just didn't realize it right away. The call of your blood was very strong." Alice said.

"Oh."

"And another thing-we are extremely protective of our mates. We will do anything in our power to keep them safe. That goes for both genders." Rose added.

That made sense. Edward was always there, keeping me safe. In my own way, I felt very protective of him, too.

"Anyways, let's get back to business." Alice brought me out of my thoughts.

She ended up giving me a facial and Rose was doing something to my hair. Before I knew it, I was dozing off.

I was woken up by someone scooping me and up and carrying me. I felt the familiar electricity and smiled. Edward. I grabbed a fistful of his shirt and sighed in contempt. I've always felt safe in his arms.

I felt him put me down on the bed and pull covers over me. He moved away but I held on to his shirt with all of my might.

"Please stay." I sighed.

"Anything you want, love." He said and positioned himself on my side.

I rolled over to face him, with my head on his shoulder and my arm draping over his chest. Perfect. I mumbled "I love you" to him and felt him kiss my forehead. The last thing I remember was the sound of a perfect lullaby he was humming. I will have to ask him about that.

Nothing beats waking up in the arms of the one you love. I was greeted by a smiling Edward when I opened my eyes. The sight of him made me smile in return. How did I get so lucky?

"Good morning, love."

"Mmmm…good morning." I replied, burying my face in his shoulder. "I can get used to this, you know."

"I'm counting on it." He said, lifting me off of the bed. I pouted at him. "Isabella, as much as I would love to spend a whole day in bed with you, you have to go home." He sighed.

"You're lucky I love you." Edward looked at me quizzically. "You're the only one who can get away with calling me Isabella." I explained. He laughed and gave me a quick kiss on the lips.

"You're a strange human."

"I know but you love me anyways." I said in a sweet voice.

"That I do, love." He wrapped his arms around me.

"I love my new nickname." I mumbled into his chest. "Alright, as much as I hate to do this, I do have to go home." I let go of him and went to wash up. On my way out, I realized a crucial piece of information-I had to tell Charlie about Edward. Oh crap.

"What? What's wrong?" Edward asked, seeing my distressed face.

"I have to tell Charlie about us." I gulped.

"Is that all?" He sounded relieved.

"Yea, but I don't know how he'll take it. I mean, do I just come out and say it? I don't even know if we're dating. What are we exactly? How do you even defi…" Edward cut off my ranting with a kiss.

"Breath, Bella. Tell him the truth-we love each other and we're together. I guess boyfriend and girlfriend would be an appropriate label for us, but you're so much more to me. You're my mate and I will love you for as long as I will exist."

I couldn't control myself when he said things like that. I launched myself at him and kissed him hard. He surprised me with matching my eagerness with his own. My hold on him tightened as did his on me. It always amazed me how well we fit together. Our lips always moved in perfect harmony and our bodies fit perfectly like two pieces of a puzzle. With a reluctant sigh Edward broke our embrace. I understood completely. It was so easy to lose my control and he was always worried about losing his control. I reluctantly let him go. This was one of the drawbacks of being in love with a vampire.

"You ready to go?" He asked, taking my hand into his.

"I'll go anywhere you go." I said in all seriousness and felt Edward tighten his hold on me.

Downstairs, I found Esme in full cooking mode and girls cleaning the living room and dining room. I greeted all three of them and offered my help, which was rejected. Oh well, can't say I didn't try. I said my good- byes and headed outside, followed closely by Edward. On the way home, I was feeling anxious over the upcoming talk with my dad. Edward kept trying to calm me down but it wasn't working.

"Bella, calm down. Nothing bad will happen, trust me." He said, parking on the side of the road. He quickly looked around and before I knew it, he was opening my door.

I stepped out, grabbing my overnight bag. This was it-the moment of truth. I swallowed loudly and Edward laughed at my reaction. I pouted at him.

"I'm sorry for laughing at you, love." He bent down to kiss me. "Just stop worrying about this so much."

"You're right. I'll do my best to calm down." I offered him a smile. He kissed me one last time and drove off. I slowly made my way towards the house and opened the door. I found Charlie at the breakfast table. I looked over the clock to find it was only eight in the morning. Huh, I thought it was later than that.

"Good morning, Bells." Charlie greeted me.

"Good morning, dad." I replied.

"So, I got a phone call from Esme Cullen last night." Wow, he doesn't beat around the bush.

"Yes, she told me."

"Is there something you would like to tell me?"

"Uumm…I'm dating Edward Cullen?" It came out more as a question.

"Isn't he a bit too old for you?" He sounded concerned.

"No. We're both juniors." Where would he get that idea?

"Wait, Edward's the big burly guy, right?" Charlie seemed confused.

"No, that's Emmett." I laughed. "Edward's the youngest one."

"Oh." Maybe that's where I got my brilliant responses.

"So, are you okay with it?" I was afraid of his answer.

"Does he make you happy?"

"Yes, very happy." I exclaimed. "I told him about Phoenix and he still wants to be with me. He loves me." I whispered the last part.

"That's all I needed to know. I knew there was reason for your change. And if he's the one responsible for it, who am I to say anything against it." Charlie finished with a smile.

I went over to him and hugged him.

"Thank you, Daddy."

"You're welcome, Bells. Now, how about some breakfast?"

After breakfast, I went up to my room to catch up on homework. The first thing that I saw was a blue dress lying on my bed. I walked over and saw a note on top of it:

_Bella,_

_Please wear this to dinner. Trust me, you won't regret it. Pair it with black leggings and black flats you have. Don't even try to wear something else-I'll know._

_Alice._

I looked closer at the dress. It was a cute cotton dress with quarter length sleeves. It had some detail around the neckline but other than that, it was plain. I loved it. It was casual enough to wear to the dinner tonight. Alice knew me too well.

I spent most of the day doing my homework. After finishing up math, I decided to start getting ready. I took a shower, dried my hair, and even did a little bit of make-up. Goodness, Alice must be rubbing off on me. I was thinking about doing something to my hair but decided on letting it down. It was naturally wavy and I figured it would look better with the dress.

By the time I was done, it was time to go. I found Charlie downstairs, wearing a nice shirt and dress pants. I didn't even know he owned those things.

"You look nice, Bells." He said, grabbing a bottle of wine. Huh, I didn't even think about getting anything. Good thing Charlie knew these things.

"Alice." Was my reply. Charlie understood. We took my truck, because let's face it; no one wants to arrive to their boyfriend's house in a police cruiser.

Charlie let out a whistle when he saw the house. Yea, it took some getting used to. We were greeted by bouncing Alice at the door.

"Good evening, Charlie, Bella. Come on in." She ushered us inside.

"Good evening, Alice. It's wonderful to see you again. Where's Esme?" Charlie asked.

"Oh, she's in the kitchen."

Charlie went to find Esme, leaving me with an overly energetic pixie. She just smiled widely at me. I knew what she wanted to hear.

"Yes, Alice, I love the dress. Thank you so much for buying it for me." She squealed and hugged me. "Next time though, let me buy it, okay?"

"Sure thing, Bella."

"Be-lla!" I heard Emmett bellow from the top of the stairs, followed by a loud smack from Rosalie. I looked over at Alice and both of us started laughing. Before I knew it, Emmett was by me, giving me the famous bear hug.

"Well, Bella, don't you look nice today. What's the occasion?" He said, wagging his eyebrows. That earned him another smack on the head.

"Emmett, why don't you go get Edward and Jasper?" Esme said, entering the living room, followed by Charlie. "Hello Bella."

"Hello Esme." I went over to hug her.

"You have a beautiful house, Esme." Charlie said, breaking the silence.

"Thank you, Charlie. Let me introduce you to my children. I'm sure you know Alice. And right next to her is Rosalie. And the loud one you've heard is Emmett. He should be down in a minute with the rest of my sons."

"It's good to meet you, Rosalie." Charlie extended his hand towards Rose.

"Likewise, Mr. Swan." She sounded almost shy. Huh, Rosalie, shy?

"Please call me Charlie. Mr. Swan makes me sound so old." He laughed.

"Esme, where's Carlisle?" I asked, noticing his absence.

"He should be home any minute now."

Right that moment, front door opened and Carlisle stepped in.

"Good evening everyone." He walked over to Charlie and I. "Bella, always a pleasure to see you somewhere other than the hospital." He joked. I laughed and shook his hand. "Charlie, it's wonderful to see you, too."

"You too, Carlisle. Thank you so much for inviting us over."

"Not a problem. We figured since Bella spends so much time here, it would be nice to get to know each other." Esme reassured Charlie.

I heard some commotion coming from the stairs and excused myself from the conversation. Emmett and Jasper were descending the stairs but I had eyes for only one person. I smiled at them when they passed me, never breaking eye contact with Edward.

"You look beautiful, love." He said in his velvet voice. It sent shivers down my spine. He gave me a crooked smile, brought my hand up and kissed it. All of this time, I had a big goofy smile on my face.

"Ahem." I heard someone clear their throat. Edward and I turned to see everyone looking at us. I blushed furiously because I completely forgot about everyone. This might not have been the best way to introduce your boyfriend to your father.

Edward lowered my hand, never letting it go, and walked us over to where Charlie was standing.

"And this is my youngest son, Edward." Esme said.

"It's an honor to meet you, Sir." Edward extended his hand towards Charlie.

"It's good to meet you too, Edward." Charlie took his hand and shook it. He then looked over to me and winked. I guess he approved.

"Well, we can continue our conversation at the table." Esme said, getting everyone to go to the dining room.

As usual, Esme outdid herself. The food on the table could feed a small army. I wonder what she will do with the leftovers.

I noticed that the table has been extended in order to accommodate everyone. I ended up sitting between Charlie and Edward. Carlisle sat in the center with Esme on his right and Charlie on his left. Jasper was sitting by Esme, followed by Alice, and Emmett was across from Carlisle. Rosalie was by Edward.

Of course, the food was amazing. Both Charlie and I complemented Esme on her cooking; only I knew how hard she worked on this. While eating, I kept an eye on the rest of the Cullens. They did a good job of pretending to eat. Charlie was so caught up in his conversation with Carlisle that I doubted he noticed anything out of ordinary.

"What are you doing, love?" Edward asked, catching me stealing glances.

"I find it quiet amazing to see how you all blend in."

"It took us some years to perfect but I like to think we're doing a pretty good job."

"You are." I patted his knee. His hand came on top of mine and trapped it on his knee. Not that I minded.

"So Charlie," Emmett said loudly, catching his attention. "You have any interesting stories from Bella's childhood?"

I glared at Emmett but he chose to ignore me. Of course, Charlie was more than happy to share.

"Well, there was this one time when Bells was around five. You remember the fishing trip?" He asked, turning towards me.

"Fishing trip? Oh, this ought to be good!" Emmett exclaimed.

I shook my head at Charlie but it was too late.

"Like I said, Bells was around five. She always hung out with the La Push kids. So one day, they decided to come along with us on the fishing trip. Billy Black and I always went fishing on Saturdays. So we took these little squirts with us. They didn't appreciate getting up at four in the morning. Anyways, we got all of our stuff ready and headed towards the lake. Of course, the little ones fell asleep during the ride and we ended up carrying them to the boat. Jake and Seth woke up before the girls and were quiet fascinated with the worms. So Jake took one and walked over to Bella. He woke her up and next thing I know, I hear a piercing scream and see Bella shoot up from her seat and run away from Jake. Of course, being Bella, she tripped over a rope and fell into the water." He took a breather and the whole table erupted into laughter. "Good thing she was wearing a lifejacket. Billy jumped in to retrieve her and the moment the he set her on the boat, she walked over to Jake and punched him." Charlie finished off, looking quite proud. By this time, mostly everyone calmed down.

"Oh my goodness, Charlie, please tell me you have more!" Emmett said, still laughing.

"Of course I do. It is Bella we're talking about." Charlie winked at me. He was enjoying this way too much.

"You know, as much as I love this, I think I'd rather not be present when you tell other stories." I said, getting up. I noticed Edward stood up too. I shot him a confused look.

"I did promise to play for you." He said, taking my hand.

"Alright, you two kids have fun. So, Charlie, do go on." Emmett dismissed us.

"Well, there was this one time…" Charlie trailed and I walked out as fast as possible. I knew Emmett wouldn't stop teasing me after this.

Edward walked us over to the piano and took a seat. I sat on the edge of the bench so I wouldn't be in his way.

"Are you upset?" He asked me.

"No, I'm not." I was surprised he would think that. "I just don't want to hear those stories again. Plus, it gives me an excuse to be alone with you." I winked at him.

"Silly Bella." He said, scooting closer to me. "You don't need an excuse-just say the word."

"I'll hold you to that. Alright, now show me your amazing piano skills."

"Why would you think that?"

"Because you're amazing at everything else." I gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "Now, go on."

And then he started playing. It was the most breathtaking piece of music I've ever heard. I recognized it as the lullaby he kept humming. So I closed my eyes and rested my head on his shoulder. The song started out slow but then picked up the pace and then slowed down towards the end. When the final note faded away, I opened my eyes and looked at Edward.

"That was beautiful." I whispered, still feeling the spell of the song.

"You like it?" I nodded yes. He grinned at me. "You inspired it."

"You wrote me a song?"

"Yes. It's your lullaby."

"Thank you."

He reached out to touch my face but Emmett's booming laughter interrupted our moment. I sighed heavily.

"Let's go upstairs." Edward stood up and extended his hand towards me. I took it and we headed upstairs. I was walking towards his room but Edward pulled me into the guestroom. I walked in first and heard the click of the door. Before I could say anything, Edward spun me around and pinned me against the door.

"I've been waiting the whole dinner to do this." And he captured my lips. I was shocked for a second by the intensity but was eager to return it. Our lips kept moving against each other hungrily.

"You have no idea how beautiful you look in that dress. I think blue is my favorite color from now on." He whispered huskily in between kisses. I just hummed against his lips. His hand reached down to my leg and hooked it against his hips. His other hand went to my back and moved my body closer to his. My hand went up to his neck and wrapped securely against it. I don't think my legs would support me anyways. His hand on my back kept exploring which earned a groan out of me. Hearing my reaction, Edward hooked my other leg around him so I was straddling him and walked closer to the door. He was now supporting my full weight. I arched my back in order to get closer to him and he growled in response. I loved his reaction to me. He suddenly pulled away from my mouth and I whimpered at the loss of contact. Edward chuckled against my skin as he planted kisses down my neck. I tilted my head to give him better access.

A knock on the door interrupted us. Edward pulled away from me and I groaned. Why are we always interrupted?

"What do you want, Alice?" He growled.

"Let me in." She demanded.

Edward sighed and let go of me. I was a bit dizzy so I had to steady myself. He smirked and opened the door. Alice waltzed in with a smile on her face.

"Bella, your dad is ready to leave." She informed me. I started walking towards the door when she stopped me. "I don't think he would appreciate seeing you like this." I stared blankly at her.

She huffed and pulled me in front of the mirror. Yea, good think she stopped me. My face was flushed, lips swollen and red and my hair was a mess. I tried to fix my hair with no success about to ask for a brush when Alice handed me one. She then proceeded to kick Edward out of the room and told him to go downstairs. Something about not looking suspicious or whatever. She then offered to help fix my hair.

"So aren't you glad you wore the dress?" She asked, feigning innocence. I burst out laughing. Only Alice would say that after catching me making out with her brother.

"Yes, Alice. Again, thank you for the dress." I said after catching my breath. "I'm sure Edward appreciated it even more."

"Uhu. I would say so. Alright, you look presentable."

We headed downstairs to find Edward and my dad off on the side, talking. The rest of the Cullens were standing around in the living room. I went over to them to say good bye and walked over to Charlie. He just finished speaking with Edward and told me he'd wait outside.

"Everything okay?" I asked Edward, taking his hand in mine.

"Yes. Your father just wanted to make sure I'd take care of you. He also threatened to shoot me if I ever hurt you."

"Much good that will do." I chuckled, leading us outside. "Come over tonight?" I asked, hopeful he would agree.

"Keep your window open. I'll wait until Charlie is asleep." Edward said, kissing my forehead. I reached up to kiss his cheek and went over to my truck and impatiently waiting Charlie. I just smiled at him.

The first thing I did when we got home was run up to my room and opened the window. Yea, I was a bit eager. I quickly changed into my pjs and went downstairs to check on Charlie. He was watching some show on tv so I went back to my room. I was greeted by a glorious sight of Edward sitting on my bed.

"I thought you were going to wait for Charlie to go to sleep." I smirked.

"I can always leave and come back." He teased. Before I could say anything, he was in front of me with open arms. I stepped into his embrace and wrapped my arms around him. We stood like that for a few moments before he led me to my bed. He lay down beside me, making sure I was wrapped up in the comforter. Edward always made sure I was warm since his body temperature was so different from mine. I freed my arm and draped it across his chest and rested my head on his shoulder. I sighed, hoping for a day we could do this without worrying about the temperature difference.

"What's wrong?" He questioned, sensing my mood change.

"I was just thinking about something." I trailed off.

"Won't you tell me?" Edward lifted my chin up so he could look me in the eyes.

"It's just that you always have to be so careful around me. I have to be warm enough. You're constantly keeping yourself in check, making sure not to lose control."

"I knew this wouldn't be easy but I am willing to sacrifice some things in order to be with you."

"But it can be fixed so easily!" I exclaimed, sitting up. He followed my example.

"What exactly are you saying, Bella?" I saw Edward stiffen.

"I want you to change me." I looked him straight into eyes.

"No. That's out of question." He shook his head to emphasize his point. "I will not damn you to this life."

"So you would rather see me die?"

"Bella, you have a full life ahead of you. It's too early to be talking about death." He tried to reason with me.

"Yea, you tell that to Phil or to my unborn sibling." That was a low blow and I knew it.

"Bella." Edward sighed, taking my hand into his. "Those are the exceptions. I'll be around to make sure you live a long and healthy life with me. Isn't that enough?"

"Will you change me if I'm dying?" I kept pushing.

"Bella."

"Edward, promise me. If I'll be dying before my time, promise me you'll change me." I begged.

"Only if it's before your time, I promise I will. But I'm set on keeping you safe."

"Thank you." I kissed him and lay back down, feeling proud.

"Are you satisfied, love?" I heard him ask.

"Mmm." Was all I could get out before sleep took me over.


	13. Chapter 13

"Wake up, love." I heard my angel whisper.

"Five more minutes." I mumbled, burying my face in his shoulder. He chuckled in response.

"You said that ten minutes ago."

I huffed and sat up. I really didn't mind spending a whole day with Edward but I had to go to school. Ugh, just another year of high school and then freedom. Well, to a certain degree.

"What are you thinking about?" Edward inquired.

"I'm thinking I would love to spend my whole day in bed with you. And how I'll have more freedom after high school is finished."

"You always surprise me with your thoughts. Now, go get ready for school. I'll pick you up." And he disappeared through the window.

I sighed and got up from the bed. I quickly finished my morning routine and was downstairs in record time. Since I had enough time to eat breakfast, I made myself toast and scrambled eggs. I was cleaning up when I heard a honk. I finished up and ran outside. Edward was leaning against his car, wearing a huge smile. I knew that smile was meant for me and only me. I don't think I've felt this good.

I skipped over to him and embraced him. I've missed him even though he was only gone for half an hour. I guess love makes you feel these crazy feelings.

"I've missed you." I murmured, not caring that I sounded clingy.

"I've missed you too, love. I'm glad I'm not the only one feeling this way." He said, kissing the top of my head. I loved his little sings of affection. "Shall we?"

Before I could even reach for the handle, Edward opened the door for me. I thanked him and lowered myself to take a seat. I stopped when I saw a box sitting on the seat. I picked it up, sat down, and shot him a quizzical look.

"I wanted to buy you something. Before you say anything, just open it."

I did what I was told. Inside the box was a brand new cell phone. I held it up for Edward to see and waited for his explanation.

"It's a cell phone." He shot me his signature grin. Come to think of it, he only used it on me. So, did that make it my grin? Anyways, back to the issue at hand.

"Really, Edward? I had no idea what it was. Thank you so much for explaining it to me." Sarcasm was my stronghold. "My question is why did you buy it for me? I don't like people spending money on me."

"Bella." He sighed. "If you think about it, this more of a gift to myself than to you."

"Yea? How so?" I challenged.

"I worry about you. You have a tendency to find trouble anywhere. This way, if you're in trouble, you can always call me. And as for your comment about not spending money on you, well, that's about to change." He leaned in to kiss me. By the time I came up for air, I've forgotten my name, let alone the previous conversation. Edward just smiled at me, knowing full well the effect he had on me. Stupid vampire!

"Fine!" I huffed. "But you do realize I will abuse this little thing. You've now given me access to you 24/7. I hope you know what you're getting yourself into." I smiled evilly. He just laughed and started the car. We made it to school in record time, even though we wasted some time on the little argument. When we pulled in, the parking lot was full of students. I groaned involuntarily. There will be a lot gawking today. I guess you could say Edward and I would officially come out as a couple.

"Ready to do this?" He turned to look at me.

"As ready as I'll ever be."

He came over to my side, opened the door, and held out his hand to me. I took it and stepped out of the car. Edward draped his arm across my shoulders and we made our way towards the building. I heard a lot of whispering and even saw some pointing. Really, people?

"You know, everyone's staring." I whispered to Edward.

"No, not that guy. Oh wait, he just looked." He grinned at me.

Couple of seconds later, we were joined by the rest of the Cullens. Edward insisted on walking me to every class, which I had nothing against. I mean, who am I to refuse my gorgeous boyfriend to walk me to my class? Throughout the day I kept sending him silly text messages. Ah, the sweet revenge.

My day went by without a hitch up until the last period-gym. Everything was fine until the end of class when the coach let us go to change. I was the first one in because I really wanted to change out of the uniform. That's when I heard voices.

"Did you see the freak show this morning?" A nasal voice I could recognize anywhere said.

"Who do you mean, Lauren?" Someone asked.

"Edward Cullen and Bella Swan." I froze in my spot. What did she mean? "I mean, have you seen her? I have no idea what he sees in her. She's as plain as it gets. You know there's only one reason why a guy like him would be with a girl like her. He just feels sorry for her." She rounded the corner on the last sentence and noticed me standing there. "Oh, hi Bella." She sneered and kept walking.

And just like that, all of my confidence went out the window. I grabbed my things and ran into the bathroom stall. I would not give her the satisfaction of seeing me cry. I sat down on the seat, trying to fight off the tears. I was unsuccessful, feeling hot tears running down my cheeks. I heard laughter and a loud "Pathetic" before the locker room went silent. That's when I let it all out. Lauren's words hit close to home because I've been wondering the same thing. Why was Edward with me? There were more beautiful girls out there. Lauren was right-I'm plain. My thoughts were interrupted by a soft knocking on the stall door.

"Bella, love, can you please open the door?" Edward's voice sounded on the other side.

"Aren't you going to get in trouble for being here?" I asked, my voice shaking.

"There's no one around."

I sighed and opened the door. And there he was. My personal angel. I really didn't deserve him. He reached out and pulled me into an embrace. I sighed, feeling so much better in his arms.

"Can you tell me what's wrong?" Edward asked cautiously.

"Lauren said some things that were hurtful."

"What kind of things?"

"She said that she didn't understand why you were with me. That I was plain looking and you felt sorry for me." I felt my eyes well up again.

"That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. Please tell me you don't believe any of that." He said, lifting my chin so I was looking at him.

"Edward, look at me and then look at you. We're not exactly on the same level."

"I am looking at you, love. And I'm seeing the most beautiful girl in the world." I scoffed at that. "I don't think you see yourself clearly, Bella. Come over here." He said, leading me to a full length mirror. "Tell me what you see." I looked at him skeptically but he motioned for me to do what he asked.

"I see me. Average height, brown eyes and brown hair, pale skin. Nothing extraordinary here." I said in a defeated tone.

"What I see is a girl who is not only beautiful on the outside but also on the inside." Edward said, placing his head on my shoulder and wrapping his hands around my waist. "You have the most beautiful brown eyes. I could get lost in their depths. Your hair is so soft and has so many dimensions. Your porcelain skin is warm and soft. And your heart, it's the most amazing thing. After all you've been through; you have enough fire to love those close to you so fiercely. You have unlimited compassion towards people. And most of all, you love me, even though you should run away screaming. You brought me to life, Bella." He said, turning me around so I would face him. "Don't let anyone tell you how ordinary or plain you are. You are the most amazing and beautiful person I know." He leaned down and kissed me. This kiss was so different from others. I could feel the love and gentleness pouring through it.

After some time, I had to break away. As much as I was enjoying this, I needed to breath. Our foreheads were touching and I looked up to Edward and smiled. He loved me and that was all that mattered. No Laurens of the world could ever change that.

"Are you ready to go home now?" I nodded yes in response.

We made our way out of the locker room just as the bell rang. We were lucky not to get caught. I'm not sure how we could've explained this without it looking too suspicious. We were walking towards Edward's car when I felt him stiffen. Before I could say anything, his lips were on mine again. It took me a minute to respond because I was shocked. We usually didn't do this in public. When we finally broke apart, I looked at him and found him smirking. Before I could say something, I saw Lauren walk by us and mumble something. So that's why he kissed me.

"You're feeling really good about yourself, aren't you?" I pretended to be annoyed.

"I believe it got the point across." He leaned down and kissed the tip of my nose. I just shook my head at him and we began walking again.

"What's your favorite flower?" Edward asked me once he pulled up beside my house.

"Okay, random. Why do you want to know?"

"Well, I would like to know what corsage to buy for my date."

"We're going together?" I blurted out. I mean, I know he said that to Mike but I figured it was to get rid of him.

"Isabella, what am I going to do with you?" He sighed. "Of course we're going together, silly." He smiled my crooked smile. I was stunned and he laughed at my reaction.

"You really need to stop doing that." I scolded.

"What?" He played the innocent card.

"You need to stop dazzling me."

"I dazzle you?"

"Frequently." I nodded to emphasize my point. His smile just got wider. I sighed and stepped out of the car.

"I'm sorry, love. I'll stop doing it." He called out after me. I turned around to look at him.

"It's okay. I kind of like it." I winked and made my way inside the house. I heard his laugh even inside. I just shook my head.

Thursday turned out to be an exceptionally sunny day. That meant no Cullens in school which made me extra irritable. Everyone seems to steer clear of me in school, even Lauren. Good, wouldn't want to be responsible for any bodily damages. The only thing that kept me sane was Edward sending me sweet texts all throughout the day.

When I got home, I decided to go for a walk in the forest behind our house. I dropped all of my things, left a note for Charlie, and headed out. I needed to calm myself down before Edward came over. I kept walking around without paying attention. Too late I realized that I was off the trail. Crap! Maybe I should call Edward? That would be great if I had my cell with me. It was still in my backpack, which was currently laying on the floor in the living room. Could this day get any worse?

The sound of a branch snapping pulled me out of my thoughts.

"Hello? Anybody there?" I yelled. And then I realized that it wasn't the smartest idea in the world. If that was a human, he or she would stay on the path. So that left a wild animal. And I probably just attracted it. Good going, Bella!

I heard another snap in the opposite direction now. I spun around to look for any clue as to what it was. Another snap. I turned in the direction of the sound but found nothing there. I turned back around and came face to face with a man. The first thing I noticed were his blood red eyes.

"Hello there." The man said, smiling to reveal his sharp teeth. I gasped. I knew who or better yet, what he was. Vampire. And not the vegetarian kind. I opened my mouth to yell for help but my air supply was caught off by his hand. He then proceeded to pin me against a tree. I had no way of escaping.

"Now, now, darling. Let's not do anything stupid, okay?" He warned me. "If I let you breath, will you be a good girl and not scream?" I nodded. "Good."

"What do you want?" I asked breathlessly. I was still trapped.

"Oh, I think you know the answer to that."

He reached out and tilted my head so he would have a better access to my neck. "Since you were such a good girl, I will do this as quickly as I can."

I closed my eyes and said all of my good-byes. Suddenly, I felt the stranger fly off of me. Confused, I opened my eyes to see Edward pining him down on the ground.

"Edward." I whispered. He turned to look at me, momentarily forgetting about the other vampire. That was all it took. Suddenly, Edward was flying in the air and stopped when he hit a tree. I screamed. All of the sudden, I felt cold arms touch me and was ready to scream again when I heard Alice's voice trying to calm me down. I turned to see Rosalie, Jasper, and Emmett also standing close by. None of them were making a move to help Edward. I asked them why.

"It's Edward's right. His mate was threatened and he has the right to defend you." Jasper answered.

"So you're just going to stand by and watch him get hurt?" I exclaimed, angered by their passiveness.

"Bella, if that you were Rosie, I would expect Edward to stand down and let me finish off the bastard." Emmett replied.

I turned away, trying to understand their behavior. I know they told me how protective each of them is about their mate but still. I kept watching the fight, hoping it would be over soon and praying for Edward to be safe. The two vampires kept circling each other, trying to figure out the next move. I knew Edward was at an advantage with his gift. They kept picking up their pace and then I saw one body slump down, missing a head. I gasped, imagining the worst. I launched myself towards them but was stopped by Rose.

"Bella, calm down. Edward's fine." She kept restraining me. I kept trying to break free because I needed to see with my own eyes.

I then saw Emmett and Jasper run towards the body and tear it apart into pieces. Edward, as I just noticed, was on the side making fire. They then proceeded to throw the pieces in the fire. After a few moments I saw purple smoke rising.

"That's the only way to kill a vampire." Alice whispered. I just kept staring at the scene before me. There were a few fallen trees, the aftermath of the fight. And then my eyes landed on Edward again. He looked like a predator at the moment. I now understood exactly what he meant by staying in control. It was his nature to be a predator and I was the prey. He was now coming in my direction and I felt Rosalie let me go. I turned around to say something to her but noticed that all of them were gone. I turned back to see Edward slowly making his way over to me. He stopped a few meters away, waiting for my reaction.

"Are you okay?" I asked, taking a few steps towards him

"Am I okay?" He scoffed. "Bella, you were the one who was attacked. I should be asking you the same question."

The reality of what could've happened finally hit me and I felt my legs give out. I was ready to make contact with the ground when I felt Edward catch me. And that's when I broke down. Right there, in his arms in the middle of the forest. He kept soothing me and telling me that it was over. It's not that I didn't believe him; I just needed an outlet for the strong emotions I've been pushing away. When I finally calmed down, I asked him to take me home. He picked me up and I buried my head in the crook on his neck, breathing in his scent. His presence always had a calming effect on me.

"Why didn't you answer you phone?" Edward asked on the way to my house.

"I left my things at home. I wasn't planning on going so far. I got carried away." I confessed.

"Bella, please, next time take it with you. You have no idea how worried I was. I wasn't sure if I'd make it on time." He tightened his hold on me. I apologized for my stupid behavior.

When we arrived at my house, Charlie still wasn't home. I found one message on the answering machine from him, telling me that he had to go to Port Angeles to help with a case. I asked Edward to stay with me, even though I already knew he wouldn't leave me. I excused myself to take a nice long shower. After an eventful day such as this, I was drained.

The next week went by without any major incidents. Before I knew it, prom arrived. Let the torture begin!


	14. Chapter 14

Ah, prom! Why did I ever agree to attend this thing? Oh yea, because whatever Alice wants Alice gets. I swear, one of these days I'll be able to say no to her. Until then, I am at her mercy. At least she let me sleep in.

She arrived at my house five hours before the stupid thing. Before I could say anything, I was dragged out of the house followed by Charlie's laughter. I'm glad he found it amusing. I know I didn't.

"Oh, come on, Bella. You would think it was your funeral." Alice laughed. I shot her a death glare. What's the deal with people laughing at me today? "Trust me- you'll be thanking me once I'm done with you." She promised.

I was dragged by Alice yet again into her domain. I didn't even get a chance to say anything when Rose came in and started working on my hair. I guess that left Alice in charge of make-up. I hope she wouldn't go overboard. I was banned from looking in the mirror until they were done with me completely. It's not like I could say anything against it. I noticed what the house was uncharacteristically quiet only to find out that all of the men went hunting. Oh how I envied them in that moment.

I was let out of my prison for a quick lunch break. I noticed that all of the mirrors in the house were covered. Wow, Alice really didn't want me to see myself. I found a bowl of soup and a sandwich waiting for me. I thanked Esme for a delicious meal. I was still amazed that she only started cooking when I came around. When I came back up, Alice and Rose had their hair and make-up done.

Alice stuck to the neutral colors for the most part. The pop of color came from her red lipstick. She did her eyes in nude color and added black eyeliner. It started out as a small line in the inner corner of the eyes and widened towards the end. It looked gorgeous on her. Her hair was curled in medium sized spiral curls. She was bouncing with excitement and so were her curls. I couldn't wait to see her dancing.

Rose stuck to the neutrals also, even her lipstick was nude. She also chose a smoky-eye look. It looked really good with her pale face and blond hair. Her hair was down in soft waives. She looked stunning, as always.

After seeing their looks, I knew they would do something amazing for me too. I mean, it's not like I didn't trust them-I just hated the whole primping ordeal. After few minutes, I heard front door open and close, signifying the return of the guys. I almost bolted out of the room but Alice must have foreseen this because she kept a good grip on me. I pouted at her.

"Just twenty more minute, okay?" She talked to me like I was a small child. I couldn't blame her-I was acting like one.

She finally let me get up from the chair and told me to close my eyes so I wouldn't see the dress. I complied, feeling the bubble of excitement grow. I felt them put the dress on. Once it was on, I realized there was only one strap on my left shoulder. That should be interesting. I felt someone put earrings in and someone else was putting a bracelet, I guess. I was then instructed to slide my feet into shoes. Gosh, I hope they weren't four inch heels.

"Alright Bella. You can open your eyes now." I heard Alice say. And so I did. Rose was holding a full length mirror.

I gasped when I saw my reflection. My eyes went to the dress first. It was the most interesting blue color. It had light blue lining covered by a darker shade of blue top layer. It hugged my body perfectly without being too tight. And what do you know, it did only have one shoulder strap that was made to look like flowers. The length of the dress hit a bit above the knee. All I knew, it was perfect. I stepped closer to the mirror to look at my make- up. Alice didn't put too much foundation one me, for which I was grateful. My lips were now a beautiful shade of pink. The eyeshadow I was wearing was a shimmery dark blue that covered my lids, getting lighter towards the upper half. My hair was done in a low bun and my bangs were swept to the side. The earrings were a light blue color, a close match to the lining of the dress. I looked down at my hand and saw a silver bangle covering up my scar. And then I gathered the nerve to look at my shoes. Okay, so I might have overreacted. They weren't that bad-two inch at most. They were a light cream peep toe heels with a bow on top. Honestly, I loved it.

"So, what do you think?" Alice squealed, unable to keep her excitement.

"Oh my goodness!" I screamed. "Alice, I love it. This is amazing. Beyond my expectations." I ran over to hug her. I turned to Rose and she was smart enough to let go of the mirror before I crashed into her. I kept thanking them over and over again.

"Okay, Bella. You need to calm down. You remind me of Alice right now." Rose chuckled.

"We'll be right back." Alice said, walking into her closet. A couple of minutes they emerged with their dresses on.

Rose was wearing a strapless short, red dress. It was hugging her every curve and she looked beyond amazing. She paired it with black stilettos. Yep, she was going to turn some heads today. Alice was wearing a short white frilly dress. She had red shoes on and was holding a red clutch. Rose walked behind me, picked up her black clutch and handed me a silver one.

"Forks High won't know what hit it." Alice squealed yet again. Rose and I laughed at her enthusiasm.

"Ladies, it's time to make our entrance." Rose proclaimed.

Alice went first, followed by Rose. They made it look so easy. I was still concentrating on breathing in and out when I heard Alice call me. I took a hold of railing and slowly began my descent. I made sure to keep my eye on my feet since I didn't want to tumble down the stairs. I was about on the second step from the bottom when I heard a sharp intake of air. I lifted my head to be met by a pair of glowing golden eyes.

"Hi." Was all I was able to breathe out.

"Bella, you look…incredible. Magnifincent. Breathtaking. I don't think there are enough words to describe how you look tonight." Edward's compliments made me blush and lower my head. I looked up at him from behind my lashes. His answering smile was breathtaking. He quickly brought his hand from behind his back and revealed a plastic box with a corsage inside. He took it out and secured it around my wrist. I looked closely at the flower.

"Freesia." He confirmed my suspicion. "They remind me of you." He whispered even though I knew the rest of his family could hear. He raised my hand and kissed it. All I could do was smile. In the next second I was blinded by a flash. I blinked a few times before I looked around. I noticed that Cullens were standing around behind Edward and Charlie was right next to them. Wait a minute, Charlie?

"Dad?"

"Hi Bells. You didn't think I would miss your big night, now did you?"

"Okay kids, group picture!" I heard Esme say. She ushered us into our perspective spots. We were coupled off, of course. I don't think I would have it any other way. After a few shots, we took pictures of just guys and girls. The three of us ended up taking some goofy ones. I mean, you got to have fun! I shyly asked for a picture of just Charlie and me. I could have sworn I saw tears in his eyes. After our photo session we were set free. The six of us ended up taking three different cars: Jasper and Alice in her little car, Rose and Emmett in her BMW, and Edward and I in his other toy-a Vanquish. I didn't know much about cars but wow! I think my mouth was agape because I heard Edward chuckle. Like a true gentleman (which he was, by the way), Edward opened the door for me and made sure I was safely buckled in before coming around to the driver's side. I thought he drove fast in his Volvo but after tonight, I changed my opinion.

The moment Edward and I stepped into the gym, I was dragged by Alice and Rose to the dance floor. The song playing was "Let It Rock" and we just let ourselves go. There was a lot of twirling and jumping and just goofing around. We even threw our hands in the air and screamed "Let It Rock" at appropriate times. And then it happened: Alice started rapping with Lil Wayne. Yes, ladies and gentleman, little Alice was rapping her little heart out. Rose and I actually stopped dancing and looked at her with our jaws hanging down to the floor. Alice shot us a look and we started laughing uncontrollably. We calmed down and continued dancing until the song ended. We made our way back to the boys who were sitting at a table. I guess it was our table now.

"Bella, I had no idea you could dance!" Emmett exclaimed the moment I took my seat.

"I'm just full of surprises." I winked at him and turned my attention to Edward.

"You were amazing, love. It was wonderful to see you so free." He whispered in my ear. I planted a kiss on his cheek and rested my head on his shoulders. I was a bit out of breath after the dance and I needed to calm down. I took in the room and saw Mike and Jessica sitting together not too far away from us. I guess he took the rejection well. I picked my head up and looked for Angela and Ben. I found them on the dance floor. Angela saw me and waived. I smiled at her. She looked beyond happy.

There was chattering going around the table which stopped the moment "Good Girls Go Bad" started playing. Emmett flew out of his seat with a huge grin on his face. Next thing I knew, I was lifted out of my seat and carried to the dance floor. I heard Edward yell to Emmett to keep me in one piece. I was laughing uncontrollably because I never thought Emmett would love this song. He was even singing along to it. He was twirling me and doing silly moves. I was enjoying so much that I even started singing when the girl part came up. So there we were, dancing and singing along. Only Emmett would do something this silly.

We made our way back to be greeted by cheers from our group. Emmett and I took a bow. I thanked him for being a wonderful dancer. My feet were hurting by this point so I decided to sit out for the next couple of songs. I told Edward to go have fun but he said he'd rather be with me. Sweet, silly vampire. I moved my chair so it was facing his side, took those stupid heels off, and stretched my legs out so they were resting in Edward's lap. Without being asked, he started rubbing my feet. His cool hands felt so good so I closed my eyes, enjoying his touch. After a few moments, I got a feeling that I was being watched. I opened my eyes, thinking it was Edward who was staring at me but he was looking down at his phone. I twisted around to get a better look and saw a woman staring at me. She was standing close to an exit and disappeared into the crowd the moment I spotted her. Her hair was fiery red and I had a nagging feeling that I knew her from somewhere.

"Are you alright, love?"

"Yea, I just saw someone and couldn't place how I knew her." I tried to shake the feeling of paranoia off.

Edward then dragged my chair closer to him and effortlessly lifted me up and placed on his lap. I raised my eyebrow at him.

"Have I told you how beautiful you look tonight?"

"Not in the last hours you haven't." I feigned hurt.

"Well. You. Are. Breathtakingly. Beautiful." He said between each kiss. If this was his plan to distract me, it worked.

I was sitting comfortably in Edward's lap when Bleeding Love came on. I placed my hand on his chest and rested my head on his shoulder, and began singing along softly, knowing he could hear me well enough.

But something happened for the very first time with you  
My heart melted to the ground, found something true  
And everyone's looking 'round, thinking I'm going crazy

But I don't care what they say, I'm in love with you  
They try to pull me away but they don't know the truth  
My heart's crippled by the vein that I keep on closing

You cut me open  
And I keep bleeding, keep, keep bleeding love  
I keep bleeding, I keep, keep bleeding love  
Keep bleeding, keep, keep bleeding love  
You cut me open

I could relate to these lyrics because I never knew I could love so deeply. Being with Edward had opened my eyes. Not only did I love him but by some miracle, he returned those feelings. Like they say, there is no greater happiness in life than to love and be loved in return or something along those lines.

"I love you." I whispered, looking up at him.

"You are my life." Edward leaned down to give me a soft kiss.

"Hey guys!" Emmett always killed the moment. I would have to talk to him about that. We broke apart and I noticed everyone was back at the table. Alice shot me a glare for the shoes. I tried to justify that by saying how much they hurt. She scoffed at that and told me that looking good required sacrifices. I told her she was an evil pixie. The whole table went silent. I looked to see shocked expressions all around.

"What?" I questioned, confused by their reaction. Emmett was the first to break the silence. His booming laugh caused a whole bunch of people to look at us. A moment later, everyone else joined in. I was still confused and a bit uncomfortable-I was now bouncing because Edward was laughing so hard.

"What's so funny? I don't get it." I asked, feeling left out.

"We're just laughing at Alice's new nickname." Rose explained, still trying to stop laughing.

"Evil pixie!" Jasper exclaimed. "That's perfect." That only earned him a death glare from Alice.

"Please don't tell me you've never thought of that!" They all nodded "No". I was shocked. Weren't they supposed to be smarter than an average human?

"And here I thought you guys were smart." I feigned disappointment. That resulted in another fit of laughter. This time even Alice joined in.

A familiar tune started playing and I was waiting for Alice to react. She didn't disappoint.

"Bella!" She exclaimed, pointing her little finger at me. "I go ooh ooh, you go…"

"Ah ah." I jumped in, finishing the lyrics.

"Come on, let's go dancing." She whined.

"Alice, there is no way I'm shoving my feet back into those death traps." I tried to reason with her.

"Not a problem." She said, whipping out a pair of metallic flats. "Here, put these on."

"You had these this whole time?" I asked, slowly putting them on. "Why didn't you just give them to me right away?"

"Bella, please. The only reason I'm even giving these to you is so you can go dancing with me." She winked at me.

"Edward, do you mind if I go dancing with your evil sister?"

"Not at all, love. Go have fun." Dang it, I was hoping he would say yes.

So I was dragged to the dance floor once again. On the way there I saw Angela and pulled her along. The three of us took our spots and started swinging our hips to the beat. I actually liked this song and was glad Alice dragged me here. Of course, I would never admit that to her. Throughout the song, I kept stealing glances at Edward and saw him watching me. I winked at him and did couple of moves that I knew would keep his attention. Angela actually took her camera out and started taking pictures. So there we were, in the middle of the dance floor, taking crazy pictures. Angela promised to make a cd of these and give it us. I was sure I would be laughing at them but these would be good memories.

When the next song started playing, I immediately turned towards Edward and beckoned him to come over. I watched mesmerized as he made his way through the crowd. He was breathtaking. The black of his tux made his skin ever paler than before. He looked like he was out of this world. My angel. This song was definitely appropriate. I smiled when he finally made it to me and wrapped his arms around my waist. My hands instinctively went up to his neck and we began swaying to the beat. I rested my cheek against his chest and sighed. I loved being in his arms. I felt him kiss the top of my head and smiled against his shirt.

"Are you enjoying this?" He asked, breaking the silence.

"Yes. I'm glad Alice made sure I got to experience this."

"Well, this is a human experience that is supposed to me remembered for the rest of one's life."

"Oh yea?" I looked up at him. "What other human experiences are you planning for me?" I raised my eyebrow.

"The usual: prom, graduation, college. I might even let you get drunk. Maybe." He joked. The song ended and we left the dance floor. Edward took my hand in his and was leading me towards our table.

"Well, speaking of a prom experience, does that mean I'll get a full one?" I questioned, lowering my face because I felt the heat rise to my cheeks. I've been thinking about this for some time now but I wasn't sure how to bring it up. Edward just presented me with a perfect opportunity.

"What do you mean?" He lifted my face to take a good look which only made my face blush even more. He understood right away. "Bella, I can't…I mean, we can't."

He was about to say something else but I heard enough. I pried my hand away from his and ran towards the exit. I felt extremely humiliated by his rejection. I heard him call out to me but I just kept going. I was trying to keep the tears at bay until I made it outside. It was cold outside and I wished I had a jacket. I sat down on the sidewalk and let my tears flow. I made no effort to wipe them away until I was done crying. I heard the door open but didn't bother looking up. I knew exactly who came out. I felt Edward put his jacket on me. Well, at least he didn't want me to freeze to death.

"Bella." I raised my head to see him crouched down in front of me. "Please don't cry because of me." He slowly wiped the tears from my face. I took a deep breath in to try and calm myself down. "That's my girl." He smiled but it didn't reach his eyes. Great, now I ruined his night.

"I'm sorry." I apologized for my behavior.

"What are you sorry for?"

"I've ruined your night." I stated simply.

"Bella, it's me who should be apologizing. I've made you cry." He was now tracing my face with his thumbs. I leaned into his touch. "Why are you upset?" Was he really asking me that? For some reason his question just made mad.

"Because, Edward, some people don't like being rejected." I replied coldly, standing up and taking a few steps away from him.

"Is that what you think I was doing? Rejecting you?" He exclaimed, closing the distance between us. "Bella, you have no idea how difficult it is for me to stop every single time. I could never live with myself if I hurt you."

"But you won't hurt me, I know that." I took his hand in mine.

"Bella, did you not see me kill a vampire last week? That was me, without holding my strength back." I shuddered remembering the fight but then I remembered how gentle he's been with me.

"I understand that, Edward." I looked up at him, my eyes pleading. "But you've never lost control with me. I know you would never hurt me. Can we at least try?"

He kept looking at me but then turned his head towards the door, as if hearing someone. He listened intently.

"Alice." He breathed out. He let go of my hand and walked towards the door. "I'll be right back." He told me. So I stood there, patiently waiting. A few minutes later, Edward came out carrying my clutch. He had a look of determination on his face. I saw Alice behind him. She winked at me. What was that pixie up to?

"I'm going to get the car. Please wait here." He said, handing me my purse. I nodded, unsure of his mood. He pulled up and stepped out to open my door. I quickly got in, still trying to figure out what was going on. We drove out of the parking lot and headed out of town.

"Where are we going?" I asked, breaking the silence.

"There's a small cabin we own, thirty minutes outside Forks." He looked a bit upset.

"Edward, are you okay?" I reached out to touch his hand.

"I'm perfect." He gave me my smile. It was in that moment his words finally sunk in. He was taking me to a cabin…just the two of us. My heart sped up and a huge grin spread across my face. My heart was still hammering away in anticipation of what was to come but I was not as nervous as I thought I would be. Our drive there was continued in total silence. Edward seemed deep in thought and I didn't want to bother him. After all, he was doing this for me.

He pulled into a small gravel road and stopped in front of a "small" cabin. Yea, that was an understatement. I was expecting a tiny, one bedroom cabin but this one looked like it had at least three. I guess Cullen's definition of small was not the same as the rest of people's. I got out of the car on my own and was looking around. This place was very private and completely surrounded by woods. I felt a hand on the small of my back and let Edward lead me inside.

Once inside, I noticed that it was very warm. I looked around to see a huge fireplace lit up and thermostat was turned up. I shot Edward a confused look.

"Alice wanted to make sure this was as comfortable for you as possible."

"So Alice knows?" I squeaked. blushing a new shade of red.

"She's the one who convinced me to try. She said that everything should go fine." He then led me to the bedroom.

Edward disappeared into the bathroom and I took this time to take my shoes off. I tried reaching for the zipper but was unsuccessful.

"Edward," I called out. "Can you help me with the zipper?"

He poked his head out and started laughing. I'm sure the picture before him was amusing- I still had my hand behind my back and jumping up and down, hoping that would help me reach the zipper. He shook his head and made his way over to me. I left of the zipper and turned my back towards him. Instead of reaching for the zipper, I felt him take the bobby pins out of my hair. I shook my head and felt the hair cascade down my back. Edward unzipped my dress, letting it fall to the floor. He brushed my hair to the side and planted a kiss on my shoulder. I spun around to face him.

"Bella, if you start feeling uncomfortable or if I hurt you, I need you to tell me right away." He pleaded.

"I will but I know you won't hurt me." I reassured him. He bent down to kiss me hungrily on my lips. To my disappointment he stopped after a few moments.

"Are you sure?" He asked once again.

"I'm yours." I whispered, raising myself on my toes to reach him.

And on this night I became his in every sense of the word.


	15. Chapter 15

I woke up feeling blissfully happy. I couldn't place why exactly but when I opened my eyes, it all came rushing back to me. I was currently lying almost on top of Edward, our legs tangled together and my arm draped across him. His hand was tracing my spine, sending shivers through my body. I looked up at him and was greeted by a blinding smile. I sighed and closed my eyes.

"Good morning, love." He lifted up my face to capture my lips. I hummed against his lips in content. "How are you feeling?" Edward asked after releasing me for much needed air.

"Mmmm, I'm good. Happy beyond reason." I answered, stretching my body a bit.

"You're not hurt?" He kept pressing on, concern evident in his voice.

"Nope." He'd been extremely gentle with me last night. I had to thank Alice for thinking about the temperature. It was actually very helpful. Even now, Edward's cool body was keeping me at a nice temperature since it was really hot in the cabin. "So how long do we have?" I questioned, knowing that we couldn't stay here forever.

"About two hours. Why don't you go take a shower and I'll make breakfast."

"Fine! But it better be really good breakfast since you're kicking me out of the bed." I shot him a glare.

"Believe me, love, if it was up to me, we would stay in bed the whole day." He wagged his eyebrows at me and I burst out laughing.

"Emmett is rubbing off on you." I playfully slapped Edward on his chest.

I sat up and wrapped a sheet around myself. I wasn't about to prance around the room naked. A hot shower was exactly what I needed and I took my time. I stepped out and looked at myself in the mirror. I saw a couple of bruises forming on my hips. Edward could not find out about this or he would freak out. Honestly, I liked them-it was his way of marking me as his. Okay, I know that sounded wrong but hey, it's the truth. I quickly dried off and wrapped myself in the towel.

I walked back into the bedroom to find it empty. I heard some cluttering from the kitchen. I knew Edward didn't cook so I was eager to see what he would make. I noticed that the bed was stripped clean and there was duffel bag sitting on top of it. I looked inside to find several pieces of clothing. I should definitely thank Alice-that girl thought of everything. I got dressed, pulled my hair into a messy bun, and made my way into the kitchen.

I had to give it to Edward-he made good breakfast. There were pancakes, eggs and bacon, and coffee. Mmm, coffee. I had to admit I was addicted to it. I attacked the plate Edward placed in front of me. I was starving. Edward found my reaction very amusing but I didn't care. I just kept shoving food into my mouth. After I was done, he cleaned everything up.

"Can you give me the grand tour? Seeing how I didn't get to see the cabin last night." I whined.

"I didn't think you were interested in a tour last night." He countered. Oh, he knew me too well.

So I guessed correctly last night-there were three bedrooms, each with its own bathroom and fireplace. There was also a game room on the second floor and hot tub out on the deck. It was quiet impressive. For the rest of the time, we lounged on the couch watching some movie. I didn't pay much attention to it. When Edward announced it was time to go, I reluctantly got up and collected all of the things in the bedroom. We exited the house hand in hand and headed to his house. I was feeling like we were headed to an inquisition. Knowing Alice, I figured it would be like that.

"So where does Charlie think I'm at?" I broke the silence.

"Having another sleep over with Alice, of course."

"I have to admit, it pays off to have a psychic for a sister."

"You say that now, love. Just give it a bit more time, you will sing a different tune." I laughed at the seriousness of his tone. He shot me "just you wait" look. That shut me up. A few moments later, we pulled up to the Cullen mansion, as I liked to call it. Let the fun begin.

We walked into the house and Edward guided me toward the living room. The whole Cullen clan was sitting there. I gulped and Edward pulled me closer to him, his hand resting on my waist. I looked over to Alice, who was wearing an all knowing smile. Jasper was sitting right next to her and had a smug smile on his face. I felt Edward kiss the top of my head and I looked up at him with smile I was sure would light up the whole room. Emmett looked over at Edward and then me, before figuring it out.

"No freaking way!" He bellowed.

"Emmett." Edward hissed.

"Well, you know it's true!" I was looking at both of them in confusion. "I just simply stated that I can no longer tease Edward about his…hmm…experience." Emmett finished with a grin on his face. I blushed like crazy because apparently now everyone knew, thanks to Emmett. I buried my face in Edward's side and felt him tighten his hold on me. Before anyone could say anything else, I was dragged outside by Rose and Alice. I felt sorry for Edward because he was left with the worst of them. Well, Emmett anyways.

"Alright, Bella…" Rose started out, once we were out of the hearing range.

"Rose, I'm not talking about this." I quickly cut her off.

"Under normal circumstances, I would ask for details, but since you're new to this family, I won't. Honestly, I just wanted to make sure you were okay." Once again, I jumped to conclusions. She just wanted to know if I was fine but I ultimately attacked her. I blushed in my embarrassment.

"Sorry, Rose. I just assumed you guys wanted to know more." I quickly apologized.

"It's understandable, sweetie. We just want to make sure you're fine, physically and emotionally." Alice spoke up.

"I'm fine. On both accounts." I grinned, remembering the elated feeling I felt this morning.

"See, Alice-nothing to worry about." Rose sounded relieved.

"She's not telling us everything." Alice countered. I looked at her, confused by her words. I mean, I was fine, well with the exception of bruises. But that wasn't a big deal, for me at lea…wait, did Alice know about them.

"Show them to us." Alice confirmed my suspicions.

"Alice, it's nothing. I know you two will make a big deal out of this, just like Edward would. I don't want him to know." I pleaded with her.

"What is she talking about, Alice?" Rose looked between us, confused. Alice gave a look that meant no arguing against her. I sighed and pulled up my shirt and my jeans down, revealing the bruises. I heard a collective gasp.

"Not a word to Edward. You will not talk or think about this." I gritted through my teeth. I knew they would overreact.

"Bella, you have to let him know." Rose spoke up.

"No!" I exclaimed. "You should've seen how happy and carefree he was this morning. I am not screwing that up." I looked at both of them, willing them to understand. "Plus, I've had a lot worse." I smiled.

"If that's what you want." Alice said.

"Please, I don't want him to find out." Both of them nodded in agreement and we headed back to the house.

I found Edward pacing outside the house. I could only imagine what he went through. The moment he saw me, he ran over to me and clung to me for dear life. I chuckled and returned his embrace. My poor vampire. We were standing like that, with no intentions of ever letting go when Alice interrupted us.

"Edward, I need to take Bella home. Charlie's getting anxious." Before we could protest, she continued. "You don't think it would be look suspicious if Edward drops you off? Seriously, one look at you two and anyone can figure out what happened last night."

I sighed, knowing she was right. I gave Edward a proper good bye and headed over to Alice's car. When we got to my house, I saw Charlie sitting outside. Guess it was a good thing Alice dropped me off. Like I said, it pays off to have a psychic for a sister. I grabbed my stuff and thanked Alice. She's done so much for me. Charlie interrogated me for a bit, fishing for information. There was no way I would ever tell him about last night. He would probably try to shoot Edward and then we would have to come up with a plausible explanation as to why there was no blood or any marks on his body. Charlie proposed watching some move and I excused myself to go upstairs and change into my pjs. I wanted to be comfortable.

As it turned out, there was a Bruce Willis marathon on and the movies just kept coming. I think around the third one I passed out. I woke up in my dark room.

"Edward?" I quietly called out.

"I'm here, love." His voice sounded strained. "It's around one in the morning. Why don't you go back to sleep." I now pinpointed his location. He was somewhere over by the window.

"Can you come to bed?"

"I think it's better I stay away."

"Why?" I didn't understand. He never refused to be near me. I mean, he even looked over me before we confessed our feelings to each other. What would make him this way? And then it hit me.

"Crap." I heard myself say. "How did you find out? Did Alice say something? Or was it Rose? They promised not to say anything."

"Neither one of them said anything, Bella. Although I wish they wouldn't listen to you." I heard anger in his voice.

"Then how?"

"Your shirt rode up while you were sleeping. I walked over to fix it and saw the top of the bruise." He sounded defeated. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I knew you'd react this way. Seriously, it's not a big deal." I got up and walked over to him. He just stood there like a statue-motionless.

"Not a big deal? I hurt you, Bella. Physically hurt you after promising to never do that. I broke my own promise. I never should've agreed to it last night."

"Don't you dare say that last night was a mistake!" I seethed.

"I hurt you." He tried to reason.

"Unintentionally! That shouldn't count. And if anyone should be blamed, it should be me. I kept pushing you. So blame me, not yourself."

"You're not the one who lost control." Edward countered.

"Fine! Yes, you lost control but look at me, I'm still alive." I stepped closer to him. "A couple of bruises is nothing. I've had worse before and under less pleasant circumstances." I tried to joke. Nope, serious Edward was still here. I wanted my happy Edward back. "Look, what's done is done. Can we just move on from this?"

"If that's what you want." I heard his sigh heavily. He agreed with me very quickly. I actually expected him to put up a bigger fight. Realization hit me.

"You're not going to touch me from now on?" I looked up at him to see his expression. With a mischievous grin he reached out and poked my shoulder. "You know what I mean."

"No, Bella. Not like that." He confirmed my suspicion.

"That's unfair."

"Look, you wanted to move past this and I respected your wishes. Can you respect mine?" He looked deep into my eyes. I knew I couldn't fight him on this. Maybe later I will be able to change his mind.

"Okay, Edward. If that's what you want." I used his words.

"Thank you." He leaned down to kiss my forehead. "Let's get you back into bed." I let him lead me to my bed and tuck me in. I fell asleep immediately.

Monday morning at Forks High was filled with excitement. Angela made good on her promise and I now had a CD with photos from prom. I couldn't wait to get home and look at them. Lunch turned out quiet entertaining. Just as Edward and I sat down at our table, I heard a loud slap and turned to see Jessica storming out of cafeteria. Mike was holding on to the side of his face with a dumbfounded expression.

"What just happened?" I asked no one in particular.

"Well, Jessica just found out that Mike ditched her at prom for some time because some woman was flirting with him." Alice informed me.

"Who in their right mind would flirt with Mike?'' I wondered out loud.

"Apparently some redhead." Rose cut in. "But then again, maybe Mike was running after her and not the other way around."

"Probably." I snorted.

I think Edward expected me to stay mad at him for a few days. He was surprised that I acted as if nothing had happened. I just decided that the issue was not a big deal and I wouldn't lose any time worrying about it. I wouldn't want to regret later on the time wasted on being mad at Edward. Plus, I had a strong feeling that he would come around. When he asked me about it, I told him I was over it. No need to live in the past. He looked at me for a couple of seconds in awe before proclaiming that I was the most wonderful person in the entire world. And just like that, we were back to our old selves.

So far, my life was perfect. I never thought that a single phone call would change that. It was typical Thursday afternoon and I just got back from school. Charlie was arguing on the phone with someone and didn't notice me come in. I took the time to check my cell. I had three missed calls from Renee and one voicemail. I pressed to listen to it.

_Bella, honey, I'm sorry call you while you're in school but I didn't know who else to call. I tried Charlie but he was busy at work. Something happened-Phil died this morning and I…I don't know what to do. I…gosh, Bella…I'm just…I'm so lost…I can't stay here. I can't even think…please call me back…I'm sorry to dump all of this on you. I'll just._

And that's where the message ended. I gasped, trying to process the information. Charlie turned around, finally noticing me.

"Damn it, Renee. Why did you do that? She didn't need to know. You could've waited. She was just getting better. No, I have to go." And he hung up.

My cell flew out of my hand and I sunk to the floor. I heard Charlie calling out to me but I couldn't say anything. Phil was dead and it was entirely my fault. I killed everyone my mom loved. I felt sobs shudder through my body. I don't know how long I lay on the floor, unresponsive to Charlie's pleas before hearing the front door open. I heard Charlie talking to someone and felt familiar arms lift me up. When did Edward get here? I clung to him with all of my might. He put me down on my bed and attempted to move away but I screamed in protest.

"It's okay, Bella. I'll stay with you." He said softly. I guess Charlie would agree to anything at this point. I heard Edward hum my lullaby and I slowly drifter off to sleep. It was a dreamless sleep with nothing but blackness filling everything.

I woke early in the morning; my body sore from sleeping in jeans. I also had a headache from all of the crying. I slowly sat up and was met by pair of concerned eyes.

"Hi." I said quietly.

"How are you feeling, love?" Yep, he was definitely concerned.

"I'm alright." He shot me a look. "Really, Edward, I'm fine."

"What happened? Charlie's mind was filled with concern for you. He also is mad at your mother for some reason."

"Renee called yesterday. She left me a message on my cell." I took a deep breath before continuing. "Phil died yesterday morning. Renee was freaking out and wanted to talk to someone. Charlie was busy at work and she called me instead."

"And why is Charlie mad?"

"He thinks she shouldn't have told me. I heard snippets of their conversation. He was pretty much yelling at her for calling me. He figured I would blame myself."

"And did you?"

"Yes."

"Bella…"

"Let me finish. Yes, the moment I heard the news, I blamed myself completely." He tried to argue but I stopped him. "Think about it-if it wasn't for me, Phil would be alive right now. But I also know that I didn't kill him; James was the one to pull the trigger. He is responsible for Phil's death. I'm responsible for bringing James into my family's life."

"Bella, I understand where you're coming from." He sighed, reaching out and cupping my cheek. I leaned into his touch. "I just wish you wouldn't blame yourself at all."

"I'm working on it, Edward." I sighed.

"That's all I can ask for." He leaned in to place a quick kiss on my lips only I had a different idea. My arms snaked around his neck, brining him closer to me and he gave in. There was so much desperation coming from my end and love coming from his. We finally broke apart when I realized I need air. Our foreheads stayed connected as I breathed heavily. I lazy grin spread on Edward's face. I smiled back and let myself fall back onto my bed. We spent the rest of time enjoying each other's company before my alarm went off. It was time to get ready for school.

I was watched closely for the next couple of days. I knew Edward meant well but I felt like he expected me to fall apart at any given moment. Silly vampire. By Friday, I noticed his eyes were becoming darker. When I mentioned a hunting trip for him, he refused. I looked around the table to find some encouragement.

"Edward, she's right. You need to hunt." Jasper came through.

"I'm fine." Edward barked.

"No, you're not." I countered, crossing my arms.

"You're so adorable when you try to look intimidating. Like a small kitten trying to be a tiger." He chuckled.

"Well, this kitten says you need to hunt." I wasn't letting this go. "I'll be fine."

"Bella, I don't want to leave you alone."

"I won't be. I'll call Leah and we can hang out during the weekend. I haven't seen her in a while." He was still not budging. "Fine, I'll just come along with you. Is that better?"

"Are you crazy? There is no way you're going with us. Out of question!"

"I guess then I'll go call Leah and tell her the good news. Love you." I quickly made my escape. I heard laughter coming from our table. What can I say; I was the only one who could make Edward do things. To say Leah was excited for the upcoming visit would be in understatement. Her squeal of delight could rival Alice's.

Edward came over at night and apologized for his behavior earlier. Being the good girlfriend, I tortured him a bit before accepting his apology. We took our time saying good bye since this would be the longest separation we've had so far-two whole days! I know that doesn't sound like a lot but the most we've been apart was a day. Plus, they were going to hunt a bit further this time-it would take them two hours to get back. And that's at vampire speed.

Trying not to let my sour mood take over my whole day, I went over to Leah's house. We made breakfast and as if sensing free food, Jake showed up. Let's just say, this was a great weekend. I decided to head home on Sunday evening. Charlie was still fishing with Billy so the house was empty.

I just stepped out of the shower when I heard the house phone ring. I knew there was no possible way for me to get it on time without any bodily injuries so l let the machine get it. I put pjs and went to fix myself a bowl of cereal to eat. I grabbed a bowl and milk out of the fridge when I noticed one message waiting so I pressed play. What I heard sent chills down my spine.

_Hello, Isabella. I see you thought you could hide from me. You'd think you would listen to what people tell you. I told you I'd come back for you, my pet. _The milk and the bowl went flying out of my hands but I didn't even notice. _So I hear Phil is dead. That doesn't surprise me since I had Victoria kill him. You remember Victoria, don't you? She sure remembers you. I believe you've seen her at your prom. You looked beautiful, my Isabella. Of course we will have to do something about that boyfriend of yours and his wandering hands. No one is allowed to touch you, only me. You are mine. Let's get to the point. I have your mother here with me. _I heard some muffled screams coming through._ So this is how it's going to go. I have a plane ticket under your name. It leaves in two hours from Port Angeles. I know it takes an hour to get there. So, my sweet, you need to be on that plane or I will have to do something very drastic. Oh I don't know, like killing your mother, maybe? Don't disappoint me, Isabella. Oh and if you'll try to bring someone with you, I'll know. Nice pjs, by the way. I'll see you soon._

I was shaking by the end of the message. James escaped. He had Phil killed and now had my mother. He even knew what I was wearing. It had to be Victoria. She was probably watching my every move since prom. That though alone made me sick. And there was no way Edward could ever make it back on time. I knew what I had to do.

I raced upstairs and put on the first thing I saw. I grabbed by keys and my purse, debating if I should take my cell. After a second, I grabbed it and ran downstairs. I quickly jotted down a note for Charlie, explaining the whole situation. I didn't erase James' message so Charlie could listen to it. I wrote a separate note to Edward.

_Edward,_

_I know you'll probably hate me for doing this but I have to. He has Renee and I can't let him hurt her. He's already hurt my family too much. I wish we had more time, I really do. I have to tell you that time spent with you was the happiest in my entire life. I never knew that I could love someone so deeply and be loved in return just as much. It kills me to do this to you but I hope you will understand. Give all my love to Alice, Rose, Esme, Carlise, Jasper, and Emmett. _

_I love you more than words can express._

_Yours always,_

_Bella._

I quickly sealed the letter and added a note to Charlie's note, telling him to give this to Edward. I was running towards my truck when my cell rang. I knew who it was.

"Hello?"

"You want to tell me why Alice got a vision of you going to Port Angeles?" Oh crap, I totally forgot about Alice. I could've sworn I didn't make any concrete decisions. Think, Bella, think. And then I had a eureka moment.

"Yea, where am I going now?"

"Antarctica." He said, smile evident in his voice.

"Penguins! Lovely, just freaking lovely, Bella." I heard Alice's high pitched voice come through. I instantly made a decision to go to Africa, Australia, and Italy. I heard Alice scream again.

"Just tell her it's payback for prom." I told Edward.

"Remind me to never make you mad." He chuckled.

"How's the hunt going?"

"Well, it was going great until a certain pixie started freaking out and scaring all of the animals away."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"Believe me, it's worth it." I heard him laugh once again. "Please stay safe, love."

"I will." I sighed, knowing I would have to say good bye to him soon. "I love you. You know that, right?"

"I do. And I love you. Is everything alright, love?"

"Yes. I just wanted to remind you how much I love you." I'm so sorry for doing this to you, I thought.

"I know, Bella. I can't wait to hold you in my arms again." I heard some crashing noises. "Listen, I have to go. I'll see you soon, okay love?"

"Yea, see you soon." And with that I hung up. Tears started streaming down my face because I knew this was the last time I would ever talk to my Edward. There was no way I would make it out alive. All I could wish for was for James to let my mom go.


	16. Chapter 16

I heard Alice gasp and was hit by a vision momentarily. It was Bella and some man. There was a body lying in a pool of blood nearby. I heard my Bella scream at the man, antagonizing him. Her body was covered in cuts and her beautiful face was smeared in blood.

"Come on, James. Pull the trigger. Come on, do it!" Her mouth turned into a sneer. "What, you can't follow through? That's how you always were-all talk. You're pathetic." She spat out.

The moment her last words left her mouth, shot rang through the room. Bella looked down at her stomach where her blood was seeping through her shirt. She looked up at James in disbelief. And that's where the vision ended.

"NO!" I roared, unable to contain the strong emotions running through my body. My family turned towards me, trying to figure out what was going on. I felt Jasper calming me down. I growled at him. This was not the time.

"What's going on?" Carlisle's concerned voice came through.

"I don't have time to explain. Alice will tell you what's going on." I turned to leave and then remembered something else. "Alice?" I questioned.

"I will let you know as soon as I know. You need to hurry, Edward. I'm not sure if she left already."

"Do you think that's why…" I trailed off.

"Possibly. That would throw me off." Alice agreed.

So Bella did that to distract Alice from seeing her original decision. I couldn't understand why she would keep this from me. I've pushed myself to the limit, trying to make it to Forks as fast as possible. When I got to her house, it was unnaturally quiet. I called out to Bella, praying that by some miracle she would still be here. My prayers were not answered. I looked over the kitchen counter and noticed a note and a letter. There was also a message on the answering machine. I listened to it first, thinking it would explain Bella's absence. By the time it was done, I was shaking with rage. The monster lured Bella out of her hiding and even used her mother as the bait. After everything she went through, he still came back. And I was foolish enough to think I could protect her. I almost slammed my hand against the counter but stopped in time. I then read her note to Charlie and my letter. She was asking for my forgiveness? I should be the one doing that. I promised to protect her and I failed her.

I snapped out of my wallowing. I need to get to her. Maybe I could make it to the airport on time and intercept her. I ran home to get the Vanquish. I made it to Port Angeles in record time. I ran up to the ticket counter.

"What's the earliest flight out to Phoenix?" I asked, hoping I was on time.

"Well, one just left. You missed it by five minutes. But there's another one leaving in thirty minutes."

"I'll take that." I handed her my card.

I got a few calls from various members of my family. All of them were worried about Bella and her safety. Alice was heading to Forks High to find the address of Bella's old school. She was able to figure out the room from her vision. It was a science room. The sick bastard was taking her back to that awful place. The most surprising call came from Rosalie. To say we got along would be a lie. I never liked her because of her attitude and I guess she returned those feelings. But now, she was trying to comfort me, saying that everything would work out. I realized how much Bella changed my family. The most obvious change would be me. I was dead, in every sense of the word, before I met her. I was constantly surrounded by my family's amorous feelings towards each of their mate. And yet I was the odd man out. I went through motions of life for so long that it became a norm for me. And then Bella came into my life. At first, I thought of her as a personal demon. There she was, tantalizing me with her sweet smell. Her blood called out to me so strong that I almost lost control. Funny enough, it was Tanya who pushed me in the right direction.

My thoughts were interrupted by the boarding call for the flight. I took my seat and returned to my thoughts.

When I arrived in Denali, Tanya thought I finally came to my senses. Oh, how wrong she was. I kept talking about Bella so much that I think it drove her crazy. I think she realized how deep I was connected to Bella before I did. When I noticed that she didn't try her usual tricks, I asked her why. She simply replied that she couldn't compete with my mate. To say I was shocked would be an understatement. I tried to argue with her but she simply pointed out my obsession with Bella. And that's when I started thinking about what Tanya said. Yes, Bella was my singer but there was something deeper, another pull. Every time I closed my eyes, I would see Bella's face. Maybe Tanya was right. Maybe there was something there. It wouldn't hurt to find out, now would it? And if anything, I would prove her wrong.

I was welcomed back with open arms. Everyone was glad to have me back in the family. Well, Rosalie was her usual self. I told Alice about Tanya's theory and was surprised to see her agree with Tanya. Usually Alice hated anything to do with Tanya. So she proposed an experiment. She was already going shopping with Bella that morning so she told she would bring her by so I could spend more time with her, so to say. Jasper and Emmett volunteered to help. Esme and Rosalie went hunting and Carlisle had to work.

I was so nervous when I heard Alice pull up to the house with Bella. Jasper had to calm me down several times. I concentrated on Bella's mind but couldn't hear anything. Strange, I never encountered something like that. I tried again and still got nothing. I told my brothers about this and they were surprised as well. Her scent was very faint, since I was all the way of the third floor but I felt the burn in the back of my throat. Sadly, I still wanted her blood. I put those thoughts away and watched Bella through Alice's mind.

I never realized before how breathtakingly beautiful she was. Her skin was pale, almost as pale as mine, and looked smooth like porcelain. She had long wavy mahogany hair. I longed to run my hands through those locks. But it was her eyes that caught most of my attention. I've always found brown eyes to be bland and boring but hers were like molten pools of chocolate. There was wisdom and pain reflected in them. I wanted to know why such beautiful creature would be in pain. I wanted to comfort her and take all of the pain away. I wanted to protect her. And most importantly, I wanted her.

Jasper coughed, getting my attention. He silently asked me what was going on. I just shrugged and went back to watching my Bella. She was now standing by my piano. I watched as she reverently ran her fingers along the keys. Her pulse raced faster at the mention of my name. Even Alice noticed and mentally told me so.

Bella's scent was now growing stronger and I was fighting back the monster inside of me. I quickly told Alice to get her out of the house. Under the excuse of not worrying Charlie, Alice took Bella home. I was disappointed that I could not keep control. Jasper, sensing my disappointment pointed out that I lasted nearly an hour before my control began slipping. I vowed to get better because I now knew what Bella meant to me- she was my mate and I would do anything within my power to keep her by my side. So over the next week I worked on desensitizing. Alice's car was my main tool. It locked in Bella's scent perfectly. There was also Bella's shirt which I kept in my room. By the end of the week, I felt ready to face her.

I didn't expect a warm welcome from Bella but I never expected her to be so witty with me. I enjoyed our little banter in Biology but it was interrupted by Mr. Banner. I usually don't harbor ill feelings towards people but there's always a first. Throughout the lesson, I felt this energy flowing between us. I was gripping the edge of the table to stop myself from reaching out to her. I made sure my face didn't give my struggle away. I saw Bella steal a few glances in my direction. So she must have felt it too. I watched her bolt out of the room the moment the bell rang and tried really hard not to laugh. She was quiet an unpredictable human. And the fact that I couldn't read her mind made her that much more interesting.

I followed her under the pretense of wanting to observe her a bit more. I could almost feel her frustration when she saw the rain. I silently walked outside and stood by her side. "Great, it's raining again." I heard her utter. It was a perfect opening and I couldn't pass it up. On the way to her next class I kept questioning her, trying to figure her out. I found out that she was not a typical teenage girl. Was not she only beautiful but she also had a beautiful soul. A rarity among humans. I knew there was a reason why I loved her. Yes, I knew now how I felt about my Bella. The revelation hit me like a ton of bricks but I couldn't escape it. I was looking forward to learning more about her.

My happiness was short lived. Alice had a vision of Bella becoming one of us and I was to blame. This was the worst vision for me. I refused to do that to my sweet Bella. She was so full of life. How could I take that away from her? So I made a decision to stay away from her. That worked for about three days. I should have realized that my Bella was a stubborn creature. I have to admit, I was furious when Alice called me and told me to get my pompous ass into cafeteria and apologize to Bella. Apparently she refused to sit with my siblings because she thought I hated her. I stormed into cafeteria and saw Bella look up at me and quickly look down. How could this human get my family to side with her was beyond me. She even got Rosalie on her side. I was a bit rude to her during our exchange but I'd like to think my method worked. I knew she was angry with me but she was so adorable when she was angry. Over the next weeks, we fell into a comfortable routine. We only spoke when we had to. On one of the days, Bella's hand accidentally brushed mine. The jolt of electricity that went through my body could have jump started my dead heart. I heard her gasp but I pretended as if nothing happened.

It became harder and harder to avoid Bella. Apparently, she was a danger magnet. First, a van almost crushed her. I swear, when I saw Alice's vision, I almost had a heart attack. Leave it to Bella to give a vampire a heart attack. Her reaction was the strangest thing-she was smiling at the oncoming van. Forgetting where I was, I ran towards her and stopped the van from crushing her. She must have been in shock at first because she was not responding to me. So I gently slapped her cheek. That brought her back. She even attempted to stand up but I was able to catch her before she made contact with the ground. Without her permission, I picked her up and carried her towards the ambulance. I was not prepared for her reaction. She was begging me to put her down; she didn't want to go into the ambulance. I ignored her until I smelled her tears. I stopped dead in my tracks, not knowing what to do. Luckily, Alice came to the rescue. I followed the ambulance to the hospital and went directly to Carlisle. I had to make sure she was alright. He assured me that she was-just some bruising. We were still talking about the incident when Bella woke up. Carlisle went to perform his doctoral duty and I hovered outside her room. I also learned that Bella was a very perceptive human. I tried to play it all off on her imagination but she was insistent. So I asked her something I knew she wouldn't answer. I left the hospital even more frustrated.

And then Port Angeles. I swear, the only thing that saved those men was the fact that Bella was right there. I wanted to rip them apart but Bella's well being was my number one priority. On the way to her house, she fell asleep but she was still plagued in her dreams. I kept whispering reassuring words and that seemed to work. That was the first night I decided to sneak into her room. I wanted to make sure she was alright. I waited until she fell asleep to make my way into her room. It wasn't' too long until her nightmare started. She was thrashing and whispering "No, James." I was a bit confused. I knew neither of those men was named James. Was there something else that happened to her? I gently put my hand on her cheek and told her she was safe. I sensed her waking up and exited her room, running towards the woods. I saw her stand by her window and look out towards the woods so I quickly disappeared into the trees. And from that night on, I visited her every night, watching over her as she slept.

That following Monday, Bella was acting a bit out of ordinary. I wrote it off on the events in Port Angeles. Oh, how wrong I was. At the end of the day Bella headed straight for me. Alice wished me good luck before disappearing into Emmett's Jeep. And then Bella uttered those words: I know what you are. There was no doubt in my mind she knew. After all, she was very perceptive. I tried to play with her at first but later realized it would not work. I was shocked at how much she actually noticed. Usually humans were afraid of us and naturally shied away. Not this one. And that's when I decided to tell her the truth. She deserved to know it.

I took her to my meadow which was a grand gesture of sorts. You see, this was off limits for everyone. And that's where Bella bared her soul to me. If I was able to produce tears, I would've cried. This fragile girl went through so much pain, and even tried to end her life because of stupid humans who thought they were better than her. Her so called friends. I wanted to kill them but not as much as I wanted to kill James. Bella called herself a monster but I told her that James was one and not her. How could she see herself as a monster? She had the purest soul I've ever seen. She exiled herself to give her mother more time with Phil. She cared for her father and she befriended my family. No one has ever done that. And then, she wanted to be my friend. After knowing what I was, she wanted to be near me. I couldn't believe when Bella insinuated that our family would no longer want to be associated with her. This was ridiculous. In order to distract herself, she asked me to tell her my history, which I did.

I don't think I've been so happy to tell someone about myself. I didn't hide anything from her because she deserved to know the entire truth. I was surprised that she didn't run away screaming. A normal human would. Then again, she's proved enough times that Bella was not a typical human. When she saw me in the sun, I watched in awe as she reached out to touch me. I usually shied away from human contact but when Bella touched me, I felt alive.

When we got home, I heard the thoughts of my family. They knew what had happened to Bella, thanks to Alice's gift. Everyone was moved my Bella's strength. Rosalie dragged her away from Emmett, who was smothering Bella with his hug. Once they were inside, Emmett turned to me.

"Dude, I can't believe our Bella went through so much. I want to kill that bastard…nice and slow." It didn't escape me that he said our Bella. It seems she's become a part of the family. Not that I minded.

"I agree with you completely."

"Well, Jasper volunteered his services. And so did Rosie." He said.

"I think this decision should be made by Bella. We can ask her later."

We were greeted by the sight of a group hug and Emmett being Emmett, had to make a smart ass remark. I heard Esme tell me to bring Bella into kitchen. She was completely taken by Bella and already counted her as a daughter. It really warmed my heart to see Bella so easily accepted into the family. I let Alice drag Bella away from me so she would take her mind away from today's conversation. It only worked until she fell asleep. I heard her screaming in the middle of the night and rushed over to her room. Unknowingly to Bella, the guest room was decorated with her in mind. When I ran into the room, she was still screaming and thrashing around the bed. I carefully shook her awake. The moment she realized it was me, she launched herself at me. I soothed her and when she finally calmed down, I stood up to leave. She surprised me yet again by asking me to stay. How could I ever refuse her? I made sure she was shielded from my cold body and started humming a song. I knew this song was about her but it was still a work in progress. After making sure she was asleep, I headed downstairs, suddenly inspired to write more.

For the next couple of days everything seemed to return to normal. Rosalie decided to fix Bella's truck without telling her about it. That gave me an excuse to pick Bella up for the next two days. On Friday, we were sitting around, enjoying lunch. Well, Bella was. I made sure I got her favorite foods. Like I said, we were enjoying lunch when Alice brought Tanya up. I had no idea what she was planning on doing until Bella started acting strangely. She was spacing out during the conversation and then ran out of cafeteria without as much as an explanation. I tried to go after her but Jasper stopped me. I shot Alice a death glare and stormed out. She ran after me, saying that everything would be okay. I asked her if it was something I did that upset Bella but she didn't say anything. So I told her to leave me alone.

On Monday, I decided to stay away at lunch. I figured I did something to upset Bella. I was pleasantly surprised when I got a whiff of Bella's scent. Yes, definitely persistent. Her attempts at getting my out of the chair were comical and I couldn't help laughing. I also enjoyed the fact that Bella never let go of my hand, even when we were sitting in the cafeteria. That was when I decided I would tell her how I felt about her in the near future.

Of course, she beat me to that during yet another sleep over with Alice. The moment I heard Bella utter those words, I felt like I was in heaven. And then she said she was sorry and tried to leave. That hurt so much and I couldn't keep it out of my voice when I asked her if she was sorry for loving me. In the next few moments, we both declared our love for each other. I couldn't believe that this angel returned my feelings. I've waited so long for her but the wait was well worth it. And then the kiss. It was beyond words. It felt so right, so natural that I let my control slip. The moment I realized what I was doing, I jumped away from her. She just smiled at me and reassured me that everything was okay.

The weeks leading up to prom were flying by. It was getting harder and harder to control certain aspects of my body around Bella. After all, I was a seventeen year old male. Good thing were always interrupted. And then prom happened. My Bella was beautiful beyond words in that blue dress. I had to give to Alice, she knew what she was doing. It was wonderful to see Bella so free that night. And when she beckoned me to join her on the dance floor, it took all of my self control not to run at full speed. I was always amazed at how well she fit with me. It was as if we were two pieces of the puzzle. And when she asked me about the full prom experience, I nearly lost my mind. She had no idea how she affected me and my reluctance was seen as rejection. Silly girl, how could I ever reject her? I tried to reason with her but she would have none of it. Only after Alice reassured me did I give in. And that was the best decision I've ever made. But after seeing the bruises on her skin, I vowed to never try that again. I knew she was upset with me, but thankfully, Bella let it go.

"Ladies and gentleman. We will now begin our descent. Please make sure all of electronics are turned off and your seats are in upright position." Finally!

I was glad it was nighttime since I was able to move freely, without worrying about being caught. I heard my phone and picked it up.

"Alice." I simply stated.

"I found the address. I'll text you in a moment."

"Have you seen anything?"

"It's still a bit fuzzy on the time. I would recommend getting there asap."

"Okay, thank you."

"Edward, remember that you might have to make a very difficult decision." Before I could ask her anything, she added. "Oh and Carlisle's on his way." And she hung up. Instead of wasting time on trying to figure out what she meant, I looked for a rental car. Within seconds, Alice texted me the address. I punched it in the GPS and peeled out of the parking lot. I prayed to God I would make it on time.


	17. Chapter 17

True to his word, James had a plane ticket waiting for me in Port Angeles. There was also a note, specifying my next destination. I was to go to my mom's apartment in Phoenix. I would know where to go from there. I kept looking around for Victoria but was unable to find her. I guess she was good at staying hidden. The flight to Phoenix was torture. My mind kept conjuring up different scenarios. Once on the ground, I hailed a cab to get home.

I ran towards the front door of our apartment only to find it broken in. The inside was a huge mess, sure sign of struggle. I went around the place and ended up in the kitchen. There was a note on the fridge: _Meet me where it all began._

I quickly made my way to my old school, knowing full well that this is where James would be waiting for me. I slammed the doors of the classroom open and saw James standing next to Victoria. I looked around to figure out where Renee was at.

"Ah, hello my pet." James purred, stepping closer to me.

"Where's my mom?" I demanded.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I guess I should mention this to you now. I never had your mother."

"But the apartment…" I trailed off, relieved that at least Renee was safe.

"It was empty but I thought we needed to make it look authentic. Don't you agree?" He was smiling.

"How did you get out of prison?"

"You see, my sweet, you show them some evidence of being psychotic and they transfer you to a psychiatric facility. And then you get yourself sent to an isolation room and persuade one nurse to do your bidding, well, my dear, an escape is quiet easy."

I knew James was excellent at manipulating people. It was his gift, you could say. I just never realized the full extent of his little talent.

"They'll find you. I'm sure they are already looking for you."

"Don't you worry your pretty little head about that. They don't even know I'm gone yet. After all, it's only been half a day since I got out." James stepped closer. "So, our time will not be cut short, my sweet."

He was now very close to me, too close for my liking. I tried backing away but hit the handle of the door. I was trapped and I knew for sure I wouldn't live to see tomorrow. And then I snapped out of it. If James was going to take my life, I wouldn't go down without a fight. I defiantly looked him in the eye and slapped his with all of my might. He was stunned for a moment and that's all it took. With inhuman speed, I opened the door and ran towards the exit. I heard his laughter carry through the hallways. I kept looking behind my shoulder and in the process missed the right turn. I stopped for a moment, trying to remember if there was another way out. Realizing there was no other way, I turned to go back. I made it to the exit only to be greeted by James.

"Ah, Isabella. Did you really think it would be that easy?" He taunted me. "You know, you're a lot more fun this time around. I think I'm going to enjoy this even more." James laughed.

Without any delay, I turned around, remembering an exit on the opposite side of the building. I was just about to pass the science room when Victoria jumped out and hit me across my face. The impact threw me against the wall and I ended up banging my head against it. I also felt blood drip from my nose. She walked over to me and yanked me in the standing position, dragging me back inside the room. She then threw me to the floor and my head made contact with the side of a table. I nearly blacked out from the pain. A few moments later, James walked in. He took one look at me and I saw anger rise up in him. Victoria must have felt it too because she started backing up.

"I told you not to touch her." He roared.

"I'm sorry, James. She was fighting back and I tried to stop her. It won't happen again." She pleaded in small voice.

"Of course it won't, babe." He stepped closer to her with a smile. Victoria relaxed right away. That's when James stuck his hand out and brought a knife to her throat.

"She's mine. Mine!" He exclaimed, slicing it against her skin.

Blood spilled down her neck and Victoria made a few gurgling sounds before falling to the ground. I was screaming at the top of my lungs. The smell of blood filled the air and I passed out, escaping from this reality for a short amount of time.

I was in the meadow with Edward. His head was resting in my lap and I was playing with his hair. His eyes were closed in content. I leaned down and placed a kiss on his lips. He hummed in pleasure. I broke apart from him and saw him studying me carefully.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" I asked.

"Like what?"

"Like this is the last time you'll see me." I clarified.

"Because I want to remember every detail of your face before you go away." He said, looking sad.

"Edward, I'm not going anywhere."

"Yes you are. You left me, Bella." He accused me.

"No I didn't. I'm here with you, how could I have left you."

"But you did. When you left me for James."

"I didn't leave you for James. I never would." I was trying to reason with him.

"I'm sorry, Bella. I have to go now." Edward said, getting up and walking away. I jumped up and raced after him, calling his name. The forest was dead silent and it suddenly became dark. I looked up to the sky to see rain clouds gather. I turned back to Edward but he was no longer there. I kept screaming for him but there was no answer. I sank to the ground, still whispering his name. Then a sharp pain in my side brought me out of my daydream.

"Your little boyfriend won't help you now." James sneered. "I think I will have to teach you a lesson since you can't understand that you're mine."

I felt a pressure on my left leg and heard a crack. That's when the pain kicked in. I screamed, unable to keep it in, which made James laugh. I was still whimpering in pain, when he pulled out his knife and sliced my right upper thigh and then he cut my upper arm. He kept cutting me in various parts of my body. I kept screaming and trying to get away from him but my leg was hurting too much. He stood up and kept laughing.

"So have you learned your lesson, my sweet?" James asked with a sick smile on his face. I didn't answer right away, which only made him angrier. He crouched down, grabbed me by my neck and banged my head against the side of the desk. "I said, have you learned your lesson?" He seethed.

I was able to croak out a yes. Satisfied with my answer, he let me go. I gasped for much needed air. He was seriously sick. I mean, I knew that before but he never hurt me so badly before. It seemed the angrier he became, faster he lost his composure. That gave me an idea. I knew for a fact I would die today. There was no escaping that. But knowing James, he would probably take his sweet time with me. I needed to make him angry if I wanted this to end quickly.

I slowly raised myself up, making sure not to put any pressure on my broken leg. I held on to the edge of the desk for my dear life.

"You know what, James? No, I haven't learned my lesson." I said, looking straight into this surprised eyes.

"Really, Isabella, do you enjoy pain? He walked closer to me, mere inches separating us. "Do you get off on it?" He continued, placing his hand on my upper thigh and tracing my side. I tried not to wince at the contact. I had to make this quick.

"No, pain doesn't. My boyfriend does." I spat in his face. I felt his stiffen at my words. "Oh, did Victoria not tell you about that part?"

"You're lying!" He screamed, hitting me. I just laughed. "You little whore!" He hit me again. "How dare you other men touch you. You're mine! Mine!" James kept screaming.

"You're pathetic, James. Did you really think I believed I was yours for one second? Who would ever want to be with you?" I spat at him.

He jumped away from me, heading towards the teacher's desk. He then pulled out a gun from one of the cabinets and headed back to me. Good, at least a gun would be faster than a knife.

"What you got there, James?" I taunted him.

"Don't think I won't use this, Isabella."

"Oooh, I'm scared now. Do you even know how to use it?" I kept egging him on. He walked up closer and I felt the gun connect with the side of my face. Okay, what was deal with him and hitting me on my face? "Seriously, James. Even I know how to use a gun. And that is not the way. Do you want me to show you?"

He stepped back and clicked safety off. A smile spread across his face as he aimed the gun at me.

"You were saying, Isabella?"

"Come on, James. Pull the trigger. Come on, do it!" My mouth turned into a sneer. "What, you can't follow through? That's how you always were-all talk. You're pathetic."

I heard the noise before I felt the pain. It was almost deafening in such small room. I looked down to see blood seeping through my shirt. I looked up at him, disbelief evident in my eyes. Wow, he actually did it. Granted, I was hoping for a kill shot but at least it wouldn't be too long. I felt myself sink down to the floor, pain in the leg forgotten because there was a sharper pain in my stomach. James was about to say something when the door flew off the hinges and he was tackled down by someone. It took me a moment to recognize the person.

"Edward." I whispered, gaining his attention. He looked back at me, his eyes widening when he took in my injuries. A second shot rang out and I looked over to see James starring at Edward in disbelief.

"Oh, I'm much worse." Edward said in a menacing voice, barring his teeth. James looked beyond scared. Edward, not wanting to waste time, quickly snapped his neck. His body landed with a loud thump. I watched Edward make his way slowly to me. He bent down and I noticed he wasn't breathing. Oh yea, blood. Lots and lots of my blood. He carefully picked me up and cradled me in his arms.

"Bella, my Bella. Why didn't you tell me, huh? I could have helped and you wouldn't be hurt right now." I think he realized that I couldn't say anything back so he continued. "I'll fix everything, okay? I'll get you to the hospital and they'll fix you right up."

Who was he kidding? I knew there was no way I would survive this. I've lost too much blood. And then I remembered his promise.

"…ward, you promised." I was able to choke out. He looked at me, confused and then it hit him.

"Bella, I can't. I won't be able to stop." There was so much anguish in his voice. I felt tears run down my cheeks. "Love, I'm so sorry I'm not strong enough for you." He kept repeating.

"Please. Don't. Want. To. Die." I whispered hoarsely. I felt life draining from me and I was on the brink of falling into darkness.

"Love, please hold on. Please, don't leave me." He pleaded.

"Love you." Were my last words before I started sinking into the oblivion. I heard Edward say something and when I didn't respond, he started yelling.

I heard a gasp and someone calling out to me before I was completely overtaken by darkness. My last thoughts were of Edward.


	18. Chapter 18

I was floating. There was no pain. In fact, there was nothing but blackness. I liked it here. I could forget about everything.

"Bella." I heard my name called out by the most beautiful voice. An angel, I was sure of it. I tried to say something but couldn't find the strength to do it.

"Bella." The voice grew stronger, firmer. I smiled, enjoying the sound of it.

"Please don't leave me, love." The angel pleaded. I wanted to tell him that I would never leave him.

"Damn it, Isabella! Don't you dare leave me!" He growled. Okay, this was not right. Angels aren't supposed to be angry.

I slowly opened my eyes to be met by a pair of worried dark ember eyes. Edward. He was with me.

"That's a good girl. Keep those beautiful eyes open for me." I summoned all of my strength to give him a weak smile. "Just hold on a little more, love. Carlisle will be here shortly."

His phone buzzed and he quickly picked it up.

"Alice." He answered, not breaking eye contact with me. "Yes, I know. No, I can't do that to her. What do you mean no choice? There's always a choice. I can't…" He was still talking when I felt myself slip back into darkness. I could still hear him, begging me to come back but I couldn't. I had no strength left to hold on.

I was floating again. I welcomed the feeling of numbness. I heard Edward apologizing but I was unsure for what. That's when I felt a pressure on my left wrist and then my right. Huh, I thought I wasn't supposed to feel pain here. Same thing happened to my ankles and then my neck. I was still confused by this new sensation when I felt a fire start burning. It started in the points where I felt pressure before and slowly spread to my entire body. I tried to scream to let Edward know what was happening but all I could get out were tiny whimpers.

"I know, love. I'm so sorry. I had no other choice." He said.

I felt his cool hand on my forehead and felt myself leaning into his touch. It didn't extinguish the fire but it did help. I think he got the point because I was suddenly wrapped inside a cool cocoon. He then began humming my lullaby and I lost myself in his voice and touch. I could still feel the fire but if I focused hard enough on Edward, it wasn't as bad.

I was surprised how aware I was of my surroundings because I heard when Carlisle entered the room. Edward stopped humming but I still focused on his voice. I couldn't understand what he was saying so instead I listened to his voice. I felt myself being lifted and transferred somewhere. I heard more voices belonging to the rest of the Cullen family.

After a short while, I was lifted up again and put down on a bed? It was then I noticed that Edward's touch no longer provided the cool relief I so desperately needed. I began to whimper again, hoping he would understand. I heard some commotion and then I was lowered into a cold substance. All this time, Edward kept whispering reassuring words to me. In my mind, I kept hanging on to him. After all, he was my only reason to live.

Time passed and yet I still burned. The fire came in waves, sometimes letting up and sometimes coming on stronger. I had no idea how anyone could ever survive this. Sometimes I felt like giving up but then I thought of Edward. I couldn't leave him. He was my life and I was his. We couldn't survive without each other. I would not leave him ever again. The place where I was laying in was constantly replenished with the cold substance, making sure I was kept cool. I could only assume it was Edward because I felt his presence. I guess even during this torture I was still connected to him.

I'm not sure how much time had passed but my heart, which was beating extremely fast before, was now slowing down. The fire seemed to leave my limbs and make its way towards my heart. It beat slower and slower and then I felt a searing pain shoot through my whole body, like a huge explosion. And then my heart stopped. Edward lifted my out of the cold and I was places on a soft bed. He no longer felt cool to the touch which was a bit weird.

"Love, please open your eyes." He whispered very softly but I still heard him.

My eyes remained closed but I took in a slow breath. Edward's scent hit me first. It was a lot stronger than I remembered. I could also smell the wood from the bed, I assumed, and some harsh chemicals. I think it was bleach. I tentatively opened my eyes and gasped. I finally saw Edward. He was even more beautiful. My human eyes did not see him clearly. I heard him let out a sigh of relief.

"Welcome back, love." He said, slowly reaching out to me to touch my face. The shock of electricity was still there and that revelation made me smile. And then memories of my last hour as a human flooded back.

"James." I rasped out. My throat felt incredibly dry and I could feel it burn.

"He's been taken care of. He won't hurt anyone anymore." Edward said coldly.

"What about my parents?" I now noticed that my voice had the same quality as the rest of the Cullens. It sounded so beautiful.

"They think you died in the fire." He said apologetically.

"Fire?" I questioned.

"Yes. Rosalie, Emmett, and Jasper started a fire, to make it look like James killed you and then set the room on fire."

"How did you fake my death?"

"Carlisle was able to find a body in a morgue that fit your description."

"Oh." Was all I was able to get out. It was a bit much to take in at once. I mean, for all intents and purposes, I no longer existed. "Wait, how did you find me? How did you even know that James had me?"

"Alice had a vision. You did a pretty good job convincing her that the first vision wasn't true but then she had another one a little after my call. So I left before everyone else, hoping I'd be able to catch you before you left. I listened to the message and I read the letter you left. I raced to Port Angeles but I was a few minutes late. Just a few minutes and I could have saved you from James. Alice was able to find the address of your old school and I got there just in time."

"How did Carlisle get here so fast?"

"He said he called in a favor from an old friend. I really didn't care at that point about the details. I was just glad he was there."

"I'm glad you came for me." I smiled.

"I'm so sorry, love, I didn't get there sooner. I didn't want this life for you."

"You regret changing me?" I was hurt by his confession.

"No." Edward reached out for my hand. "I'm very selfish, Bella. I could never live in a world where you don't exist."

"Then why are you apologizing?"

"Because I took you away from your life and your family. I robbed you of your chance to have a normal life." He lowered his head in shame. I reached out and lifted his head.

"Don't be. You saved me. If it wasn't for you, I'd be dead." He tried to say something but I caught him off. "Yes, I will miss my parents but I have a family with you. And as for a normal life, I never wanted one. My destiny lies with you. Forever."

Edward kept looking at me. I was trying to figure out why when it hit me. I probably had scars left over or something. I panicked, lifting my hands to my face.

"What's wrong, Bella?"

"My face. Do I have scars or bruises?" I was feeling my face, looking for anything.

"No, love." He laughed. I looked at him, confused and hurt by his reaction. "Come on, I'll show you." Edward said, extending him hand to me. I gladly took it and he led me to a mirror. When I looked in the reflection, I did not recognize the person staring back at me. Sure, she had the same hair as me and she was my height, but this girl was breathtakingly beautiful. I moved my hand and saw the girl mimic my movement. I gasped, realizing it was me. A huge grin broke out on my face as I took a closer look.

My body became leaner and I actually had curves now. Gone were the cuts that James inflicted on me. I smiled, realizing that he did not leave a permanent mark on me. I still had my heart shaped face but my features became more pronounced. My skin seemed to glow. And my eyes were ruby red. I gasped.

"My eyes."

"They will change soon after you start feeding." Edward clarified. "Speaking of feeding, you must be thirsty." He went into another room and brought two huge canisters. He opened one and handed it to me. The moment I smelled blood, I grabbed it and started drinking hungrily. After I emptied the second one, the truth of what I've done hit me. I felt so ashamed but it did quench the thirst a bit. I understood now what Edward meant when he said that the thirst never went away. There was still a burning present in the back of my throat.

"Bella, there's nothing to be ashamed of. This is only natural." Edward encouraged me.

"How did you know what I was thinking? Can you read my mind now?"

"No, you're still silent." He sounded disappointed. "But I can read you better now."

I smiled at him. I was still in awe of him. It was as if I was seeing him for the first time. I slowly lifted my hand and gently began to trace his face. He sighed and closed his eyes. I smirked, enjoying the fact that I had the same effect on him as he did on me. Slowly, I lifted myself on my toes and kissed him. His eyes shot open. I guess he wasn't expecting that. I smiled against his lips and moved my hands to the back of his head. Edward's hand wrapped around my waist, bringing me closer to him. Our lips were moving hungrily, making up for the lost time. The sensation of his lips against mine was so much more powerful than I remembered. I guess this was one of the perks of becoming a vampire. I felt his arms tighten against mine and his tongue tracing my bottom lip. I parted my mouth, granting him access. The moment our tongues made contact, I lost all of my control. I tried to bring myself closer to him but ended up knocking us down to the floor. I ended up sprawled on top of Edward and saw him wince. I quickly jumped off of him.

"I guess I forgot to tell you about your strength." He smiled at me.

"It's not the only thing you forgot." I stepped closer, poking him. "You've been holding out on me." I accused him, referring to our kiss.

"There were limitations when you were human." Edward simply stated.

"Not anymore, though." I raised an eyebrow.

"No, not anymore." He agreed. "Would you like to get cleaned up?"

"Why?"

"Well, you're a bit of a messy eater, love." I turned back to the mirror and saw that I had blood stains all over my tank top. How very Bella of me.

"You could have told me earlier." I tried to sound hurt.

"I could have but then, I was a bit preoccupied at the moment." Edward was looking rather smug.

"Oh well. Guess I'll have to go take a shower." I said, slowly taking off my clothing. "All by myself."

I made a run for the bathroom and jumped into the shower. I heard Edward grumbling but that just made me laugh. Remembering his comment about my strength, I gently turned the knob to get the right temperature. No need to destroy something I'm sure Esme worked hard on.

I took my time in the shower, washing away all of the sweat and blood. I finally felt clean enough and stepped out. A fresh set of clothing and a towel were waiting for me on the sink. Sneaky vampire.

I walked back into the room to find Edward on the phone. The moment he noticed me, he hung up and stepped towards me.

"I'm sorry, love, but we have to go."

"Why?"

"Your funeral is tomorrow. Our family will be attending."

"Can't I go? I'll stay in the shadows, hidden somewhere. I just want to see my parents one last time."

"Bella, you're a newborn. You'll have no control over your blood lust. I don't want to put you through something like that." Edward reasoned. And he was right-I had no idea how to control myself. I didn't even know what to expect.

"Wait, an entire family? Where am I going to stay?" I remembered his earlier comment.

"You're going to Alaska. Tanya will drive you there."

"Tanya? As in, Tanya who was lusting after you all of these years?" I exclaimed.

"Bella," He stepped closer, taking my face into his hands. "I wish I could go with you but we have no choice. Please, understand that this is the only way." He placed a gentle kiss on my lips.

"I…I don't know if that's such a good idea." I whispered. Even after becoming a vampire I was still insecure.

"Love, there is no competition when it comes to you." Edward said, sensing my insecurity. "Tanya doesn't hold a candle to you." Another kiss. "Plus, I prefer brunettes." He smirked.

"Fine!" I huffed. "But you owe me for this."

"Whatever you say, love." He took my hand and led me outside. I noticed that we were surrounded by woods and the place where we stayed at was yet another cabin.

"Your family has a thing for cabins, huh?"

"Our family." Edward corrected me. "And yes, they sort of do."

Our family-I liked the sound of that. It's been a while since I could say that. Don't get me wrong, Charlie and Renee were wonderful parents but they have always been separate. Even when Phil entered the picture, it still didn't feel complete. But now I had both parents and I was also blessed with crazy siblings. Somehow this felt right. The sound of a car pulling up brought me out of my thoughts. I saw a black Land Rover come to a stop and a gorgeous strawberry blond got out. Yep, confidence level hit the all time low. The Cullens never mentioned how ridiculously good looking Tanya was. Edward, sensing my discomfort, brought me closer into him.

"Edward." Tanya sang.

"Tanya, thank you so much for doing this." He said in a friendly tone. Wait, I thought he disliked her.

"Anything for you." She answered sweetly, giving him a smile. Oh, I was so going to kill her.

"Where are my manners? Bella, this is Tanya." He gestured towards her, as if I didn't know. "And Tanya, this is my Bella." Yea, take that blondie.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Bella." Tanya gave me a warm smile and extended her hand. "I've heard so much about you."

I reached out and shook her hand. "Likewise, Tanya." I said in an extremely sweet voice. We ended up having a short staring contest. Edward cleared his throat, gaining both of our attentions.

"Well, I'll be waiting in the car." Tanya said, walking back to her car.

I waited until she was in the car before turning back to Edward and pretty much attacking him. He knew exactly what I was doing because I felt him smile against my lips. Hey, he didn't do anything to stop it. After a few moments, he gently pushed me away.

"I think you've made your point, love." He chuckled.

"I just wanted to make sure." I smiled at him.

"Like I said- no competition." He reassured me.

"When will you come back to me?"

"As soon as the funeral will be over, I'm leaving. The rest of the family will stay around for a few days. We don't want it to look suspicious."

"A whole day without you." I whined.

"But then you get to have me for eternity."

"I like the sound of that." I gave him a quick peck and started walking away.

"Bella," Edward called out. "I'll see you soon, love." I waived at him and got inside the car. Tanya pulled out of the driveway and we were on our way to Alaska. We rode in silence for a few minutes before Tanya broke it.

"Bella, I'm sure you know of my past…um…attempts to get Edward." She trailed off.

"Yes, Tanya, I'm fully aware." I said in a clipped tone.

"I just wanted to let you know that you don't have to worry about that anymore." I scoffed. "It's true. I mean, I can never compete with you. You're his mate." I kept looking at her in disbelief. So she continued. "When he came for a visit back in February, I thought he finally gave in. How wrong I was. I knew right away something was not right. When I finally got him to talk, he told me all about you. And that's all he talked about while he was in Denali. I knew that you were something special because his eyes would light up every time he would mention you. I don't think Edward even realized what you meant to him then. So I spoke to him again and he left shortly after that. I guess he figured it out."

"So what you're saying, I should be grateful to you for pushing Edward in the right direction?" I was so confused by Tanya.

"No, not at all. He would've have figured it out eventually. Edward's just too stubborn for his own good." She laughed.

"Yea, tell me about it."

"I just want you to know that you don't have to worry about me. Like I said, I'm no competition." She looked over at me, hoping I would understand.

"Tanya, I'd like to believe you, I really do."

"Oh, I don't expect you to trust me right away. I just wanted to clear the air between us. I'm sure in time you'll be able to see that I'm not a threat. Who knows, maybe we can even be friends someday."

"Maybe." I agreed, not giving her a definite answer. I mean, I would have to talk to Edward to confirm everything Tanya said.

The rest of our drive was spent in silence. Tanya seemed to avoid any major roads, explaining that she didn't want to run into any humans seeing how I was a newborn. That made perfect sense. She confessed that Edward pretty much planned everything out. He even made sure there was a canister of gas in the trunk so we wouldn't have to stop for gas. He really did plan for everything.

When we arrived in Denali, Tanya showed me to my room. Apparently the rest of her family was out hunting. They would be back later tonight. I spent all of my time holed up in my room, reflecting on everything that had happened in the past days.

Memories of James and his torture made me shudder. I had no idea how far he would go in torturing me. I was actually glad it was me and not Renee. She went through so much because of me already. I was sure I would die that day but Edward showed up. Never in my wildest imagination would I ever think he would come for me. For a moment, I thought I was imagining him, seeing how I was on my last breath. But he was there, my angel. And he saved me yet again.

Technically, I did die that day but I was granted another chance at life-an immortal life. I only wished I could let my parents know I was alright. I knew I couldn't be anywhere near them, seeing how I would have no control over my blood lust, but I missed them. I missed Renee and her eccentric personality. I missed Charlie-his kind words, over protectiveness, and even his stubbornness. I missed the La Push gang. I would not be able to see Leah and Jake marry nor would I see them raise their family. And so I cried. My body was unable to produce any tears but I still cried.

I heard a soft knock on my door and before I could answer, Tanya came in. Without a word, she came up and hugged me. I couldn't control myself and kept sobbing. I heard her try to sooth me but I couldn't stop.

"Just let it all out, Bella." She said, rubbing my back. I finally calmed down and took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry for. This is a lot to take in, especially after everything you went through."

"You know?" I was surprised that someone told her my story.

"Edward explained your situation to me. When he told me he changed you, I knew something was up. I know Edward and he would never subject any one to this life." I had to agree with her on that. "The rest of my family is downstairs. They would like to meet you if you're up for it."

"Just give me a moment."

"We'll be downstairs. Take your time."

When the door closed, I got up and went into the bathroom. I washed my face, brushed my hair and headed downstairs. I was greeted by a couple who introduced themselves as Carmen and Eleazar.

"Bella, it's a pleasure to have you in our home." Carmen said, stepping closer and embracing me. I detected a hint of a Spanish accent in her speech. "This is my mate, Eleazar."

"It's a pleasure to meet you both. Thank you so much for letting me stay here."

"No need to thank us. Any friend of Cullens' is a friend of ours. This is Kate and Garrett." She pointed to another couple. I nodded in greeting. "And here is Irina and Laurent. And I believe you've met Tanya already."

"Yes, I have. It's wonderful to meet you all."

"Trust me, Bella, the pleasure is ours. After all, it's not every day we get to meet the woman who captured the elusive Edward Cullen." Kate spoke up, warm smile playing on her lips. I liked her already.

"Do you need to hunt, dear?" Carmen asked in a true Esme fashion.

"No. Edward fed me before I left."

"Well, feel free to explore the house." Carmen gestured around the living room.

"Actually, Bella, we were wondering if you would like to go for a walk." Irina said.

"We?"

"Yes. Kate, Tanya, and myself."

"Sure." I agreed, not wanting to sound rude. "Let me grab my coat." I ran to my room, grabbed a jacket, and raced downstairs. The three sisters were waiting for me by the door. I pulled my shoes on and the four of us stepped outside. I wasn't sure what to expect out of them. I was pretty sure that Kate was alright and maybe Irina, but I still had my doubts about Tanya.

"So, Bella, tell us about yourself. We know a little bit about you but nothing specific." Kate asked, breaking the awkward silence.

"What exactly do you want to know?"

"Oh, pretty much everything." She giggled.

And so I told them my life story. I don't know why but I felt pretty good talking to them. Of course, being the true romantics, they loved the fact that Edward was my hero, saving me from the evils of this world. I had to admit, Tanya was behaving rather well. I expected her to throw in some remarks but she kept quiet. Maybe she was telling the truth. By the time I was done, it was close to midnight and Carmen called us inside. I bid everyone a good night and went to my room.

I didn't know what to do with myself since I could no longer sleep. I looked through my bag and found my IPod. Huh, I don't remember taking it with me. I guess Alice grabbed it from my house. I found my lullaby, which Edward recorded for me and put it on repeat. I was so concentrated on the melody that I didn't hear the door open. I did, however, catch the familiar scent. I shot up from the bed to find a smiling Edward standing in the middle of the room. I launched myself into his open arms. Of course, I completely forgot about my strength and Edward actually stumbled when he caught me. I didn't care. I missed him so much in the past day. I started peppering his face with kisses. He chuckled at my enthusiasm and captured my lips. When we broke apart, I nuzzled into him.

"I've missed you so much." I whispered, not wanting to break the spell.

"I've missed you, too." He buried his face in my hair, taking a deep breath.

"How are you feeling?"

"Better." He said, lifting my face to look in my eyes. "I'm finally home."

I just smiled and let him to the bed. We took our usual positions and just enjoyed each other's company. I needed this-to feel like I had no worries in the world. Edward was humming my lullaby again and I enjoyed the feeling of being wrapped up in his arms.

"How was it?" I finally asked once the dawn broke.

"Very sad. A lot of people showed up to pay their respect. Even Lauren and her little gang." I snorted. Of course she would. "She made it sound as if you two were inseparable. Her little story was soon put to rest once Margaret stepped in."

"Oh no. What did she do?"

"She just said loudly that you talked so much about Lauren, especially how horrible she's been to you and your real friends. Margaret also might have mentioned how she agreed with you after seeing Lauren in person. Let's just say, Lauren left really fast after that. Her minions followed shortly." He finished and I could no longer contain my laughter. I could imagine Renee doing something like that. She was sweet most of the time but when someone made her mad, there was no stopping her.

"What else?"

"Charlie and Renee gave wonderful speeches. They love you so much, Bella. I'm so…"

"Please, don't. I don't regret the change. Please continue." I cut him off.

"Esme and Renee bonded quite nicely. And Renee is completely taken with Alice. Oh yes, Leah and Seth showed up, along with Jake and Billy. Angela and Ben were there also. Some more kids from school and their parents. It was quiet a crowd." I nodded, unsure what to say. I'm sure "It sounds nice." would be a wrong sentiment. I mean, we are talking about my funeral here.

"Thank you for telling me." I found the right words.

"Anything for you, love."

"When is the rest of the family coming here?"

"In about three days. Carlisle let the hospital know that the family would be moving due to the painful memories."

"What's your excuse for leaving early?"

"I decided to take a year off from school, with my parents' blessing."

"So you're a high school drop out?" I feigned shock.

"I think I've graduated enough times to be able to take a break."

"Very true." I agreed. "So where do we go from here?"

"We will wait for our family to come and then we'll move into our house."

"Of course you would have a house here. I don't know why it even surprises me anymore."

"You have an eternity to get used to it."

"Mmm, I like the sound of it."

And so, for the next three days we spent as much time together as possible because we knew once Alice came back, there would be no escaping her.


	19. Chapter 19

The moment Tanya's car left the driveway, I called Alice. She was supposed to help me clean up and drive me to Forks. We had around one hour before we had to leave. She informed me she'd be here soon. I had my family stay nearby, in case I needed help.

I have to admit, watching Bella change was the most difficult thing in the world. Scratch that, seeing Bella after James was done with her was the most difficult thing in the world. I nearly lost it when I saw the extent of her injuries. James was lucky that Bella was my priority because I wanted to make him suffer. In my mind, I knew there was no way Bella would survive after losing so much blood but I kept hoping still. When she blacked out the first time, I panicked. I kept begging her to come back, to open her eyes, and when she did, I swear I could feel my heart beat again. And then Alice called, telling me to change Bella. There was no chance I would ever condemn her to this cursed life. I tried to fight it but Alice said there was no other option. I would argue more but then Bella lost conciseness again. I refused to lose her again. I knew what I had to do.

I apologized to her, knowing she could somehow hear me before biting her. I had to admit, the monster in me rejoiced. It was finally getting what it lusted after for so many months. I was proud that I could stop myself before I took too much of her blood. And then, my nightmare began. I heard my angel whimpering and tried to sooth her by putting my hand on her forehead. That seemed to work because she leaned into my touch. Without a second thought, I lifter her up and wrapped myself around her, humming her lullaby. I don't know how long I sat there before my family arrived. Carlisle tried to take Bella from my arms but I refused to let her go. He, Esme, and Alice were going with us, while my other siblings stayed behind to clean everything up.

On the way to the cabin, Carlisle told me the plan. Emmett, Rosalie, and Jasper would set the room on fire, making it seem like James did it. Carlisle was able to find a body in a morgue fitting Bella's description. The fire would be strong enough to burn everything away, leaving some remains to show evidence of three bodies. The message left on the answering machine would clear up any doubts that Bella went to save her mother, dying by James' hand. According to Alice, Charlie would arrive home soon and after hearing the message and reading the note, he would call the Phoenix police. The plan would work perfectly.

I kept holding Bella close to me, hoping my body still provided the cool relief she so desperately needed. I had to admit, other than the small whimpers, Bella was silent. Her heart was beating so fast that it sounded as if it would jump out of her chest. I knew that by the third day, I would no longer hear it beat. She would no longer have that lovely blush and her beautiful brown eyes would become blood red. All of these things didn't matter because I would have her with me for eternity. My love, by my side forever. What could be better than that?

Once we arrived at the cabin, I carried Bella inside and placed her on the bed. I heard her whimper again, a sign that she needed to be cooled down. I guess I could no longer use my body for that. I picked her up and carried her over to the bathtub. I got Alice to go to the nearest gas station to buy ice. We filled the tub with ice and that seemed to work. Alice went to a grocery store to stock up on more ice. Carlisle and Esme went to the nearest hotel to give us privacy. I sat on the floor of the bathroom and resumed humming Bella's lullaby to her.

Time seemed to pass by slowly. I kept concentrating on her heartbeat in order to stay sane. This was excruciating for me and I could only imagine how she felt. I hoped Bella wouldn't hate me after the ordeal she had to go through. I watched in amazement as her body changed physically. The bruises and scars healed and her skin became paler, matching mine. Her facial features also became more pronounced. And her scent was becoming stronger with each passing hour.

It was finally the third day. The only reason I knew this was because her heart began to slow. With one final thump, it finally stopped. I took her out of the tub and transferred her back on the bed, wiping away the water. I held my breath, waiting for my angel to open her eyes.

"Love, please open your eyes." I whispered softly, knowing full well she could hear me. I heard her inhale the air around her, her eyes still closed. I saw her nose crinkle up. She must have smelled the bleach we used to clean the place up. I watched in awe as she slowly opened her eyes and met her curious gaze. I sighed in relief.

"Welcome back, love." I said, reaching out to touch her beautiful face. It was a bit unsettling to see her with red eyes but I didn't let that show through.

"James." She rasped out.

"He's been taken care of. He won't hurt anyone anymore." I said coldly.

"What about my parents?"

"They think you died in the fire." I said apologetically.

"Fire?" She questioned. And so I told her all about the cover up and how I was able to come to her rescue. I apologized for taking her life away. She, of course, interpreted it the wrong way. Even though on some lever I did regret changing her, the benefits definitely outweighed the cost. After all, I was a selfish creature. I was speechless when she said that her destiny was with me. I kept staring at her and was surprised when she began to touch her face, looking for scars. I had to laugh at that. I should have have told her beforehand about the change and how it healed everything in her body but we did not have enough time for that. Instead, I showed her.

Bella kept staring at her reflection, unable to realize that it was her. When she did, a huge grin spread on her face. I've always thought she was beautiful but now her features were more pronounced, giving her unearthly beauty. She was truly an angel. I did expect her to be unhappy about her eyes and explained that the color would change after some time. Realizing she must be thirsty after the change, I fetched the two containers of blood. The moment Bella smelled blood, she brought it to her lips and drank hungrily. I guess I would have to get used to seeing her feed.

What I didn't expect out of her was the kiss. I knew that for newborns, blood lust was the dominating emotion and other emotions stayed in the back until the newborn gained control. But the moment those soft lips touched mine, I lost my train of thought. I knew I didn't have to worry about losing control with her anymore so I deepened our kiss. Bella's attempt to get our bodies closer ended up in me falling back and her falling on top of me. I couldn't help wincing in pain. She realized that she hurt me and jumped off.

The next surprise came when Bella was leaving with Tanya. I knew Bella wouldn't be happy about her driving arrangements but Tanya was the only person available. I didn't have enough time to explain to Bella that Tanya no longer had her sights set on me or that she was the one who helped me realize my true feelings. Now, I would be lying if I said I didn't enjoy Bella marking her territory. I found it quiet amusing that she thought I could look at anyone but her. I swore I would spend the rest of our existence showing her what she meant to me.

Alice's arrival brought me out of my thoughts. We went inside, cleaning out the tub and changing sheets on the bed. I discarded the containers used to store blood. Using our vampire speed, we had the place cleaned in record time. We then went to pick up Carlisle and Esme from the hotel. Rosalie, Jasper, and Emmett were already back in Forks. Carlisle had called the school, giving an excuse of a family emergency to explain all of our absences.

Charlie had called on Monday night, informing Carlisle of what had happened with Bella. It was hard to listen to him. He was heartbroken over his daughter's early demise. Charlie said that the funeral was set for Thursday afternoon. Alice confirmed that there would be no sun and Carlisle promised our whole family would attend. Renee would already be in Forks by now for the funeral. She had been visiting a friend in California, thus spearing her from James.

It was raining the whole day Thursday. Renee thought that even the nature cried for Bella's death. I had to agree with her. This was not the way her life was supposed to end. She had such a violent death. Renee gave a wonderful speech, reminiscing about Bella's childhood. Charlie told some of the stories of Bella's visits. It was quiet obvious both of her parents loved her dearly. Of course, Lauren had to show up and open up her big mouth. She was saying to Renee how she and Bella were such great friends. I heard a few scoffs, a couple of them coming from my family. Of course, Renee was looking quiet confused since she never heard Bella mention a best friend by the name of Lauren. That's when Margaret stepped in. Apparently, she knew exactly how Lauren acted towards Bella. I knew exactly what she was about to say so I kept close just to see Lauren's reaction. Of course Margaret, being a sensible person, toned it down a bit. She was only the second person to ever tell Lauren off.

My family was welcomed to the Swan's house with open arms. Renee and Esme bonded almost immediately. And Renee absolutely adored Alice. I think Rose was a bit on the reserved side during this time and felt a bit out of place. Throughout the afternoon, I kept my distance from everyone. When everyone was invited to the house, I snuck up to Bella's room. Her scent still lingered in the room. I laid down on her bed and closed my eyes. I hated taking Bella away from this-her human life and her parents. I wish I had another choice but I couldn't let her die. I didn't know how to exist without her. She was my guiding light in this world. I heard Renee coming up the stairs but made no effort to move. She wanted to talk to me and who was I to refuse her?

"You know, when I came back to Forks, the first thing I did was what you're doing right now. Somehow I felt like she was still here." I heard her speak and I sat up.

"Mrs. Dwyer, I'm so sorry for your loss. I wish I could have done something to save her. I should have stayed behind. Maybe I could have…"

"Edward, you did save her." She cut me off. I shot her a quizzical look. "Maybe not in the sense you wanted but you brought my baby back to life. When she left Phoenix, she was a shell of a girl she once was. That bastard took her spirit away long before he took her life."

I could sense her tears so I walked over to her and embraced her. The sobs shuddered through her body and all I could do was just hold her. After a few moments, she stepped out of my embrace.

"Edward, I wanted to thank you for what you've done for Bella." I tried to argue but she stopped me. "You have no idea how much she's changed since she met you. You brought her back to life." I got a mental image of Bella in Phoenix and almost winced. This was not the girl that I knew. This was just a shadow of her. I never knew the extent of her depression since I never spoke to Charlie about it. I now understood how drastically the change in Bella occurred.

"She did the same for me. Your daughter was truly a remarkable human being." I confessed.

"She really was." Renee agreed. "Well, how about we head downstairs."

"Can I have a few moments alone?" I asked, knowing she would not deny me that. She nodded and exited the room. I looked around, saying good bye to the human Bella. So many happy memories happened in this room. It was here that I first heard her call out my name and later confess her love for me in her sleep. I shook my head, knowing we would have an eternity to make new memories.

I headed downstairs, to find only my family present. I assumed the rest of the people had left. We said our good bye and headed back to our house. My family was staying behind for a few days but I was leaving tonight. I couldn't wait to see Bella. The drive there was shorter than usual since I was in a hurry. I entered Denali house, greeting everyone, and went upstairs. I could hear Bella listening to her lullaby. I opened the door and stopped in the middle of the room. She must have been very focused on the melody because it took her a moment to realize someone else was in the room. I smiled, waiting for her assault. I wasn't disappointed. She launched herself at me at full speed and when I caught her, I actually stumbled a bit. She then began covering my face in kisses but I needed to feel her lips on mine. She happily complied when I captured her lips. Our kiss was filled with longing for one another. It's only been a day but I had missed her beyond reason. I now understood why my siblings couldn't stand to be away from their own mates.

After we broke apart, she asked me how I was. I told her I was better, I was home. It was the truth because she was my home. It didn't matter where I was at, as long as my Bella was with me, I would always be home. We took our usual positions on the bed. I knew she was curious about the funeral but I waited until she was ready to ask. And when she did, I told her everything. For the next few day, we enjoyed each other's company before the hurricane that was Alice came back.


	20. Chapter 20

I was up in our room (yes, it became our room) when I heard the unmistakable Alice squeal. I rushed down the stairs only to be met by her at the bottom. She was a bouncing ball of energy and I couldn't help myself-I had to bounce with her. I heard Rose call my name and rushed over to hug her. Jasper was next and then Emmett. I decided to give him a taste of his own medicine and squeezed him with all of my might.

"Whoa, Bella. You're freaking strong. We should totally wrestle or something." I heard Edward growl and turned to him with a smile, hoping to pacify him. It worked like a charm. Carlisle was next, followed by Esme.

"Welcome to the family, sweetheart." She said.

"Thank you." I smiled at her kind words. She was definitely becoming my second mother.

"How are you feeling? Do you need to hunt?" Carlisle questioned me.

"Now that you mention it, I think I should. The burn is becoming a bit stronger now."

"Yey! Family hunt." Alice exclaimed.

All of us headed out into the forest. I felt nervous because this would be my first hunt. Jasper sensed my feelings and sent me a wave of calmness. I thanked him for it. Once inside the tree lines, everyone took off at full speed. I was still a bit new at this whole vampire thing. Edward took my hand and guided me. Running at full speed was exhilarating. I felt so free and couldn't help the huge grin spreading on my face. I felt like such a kid and giggled in pure happiness. Edward had a huge smile on his face, enjoying seeing me so happy.

We finally caught up to the rest of Cullens and stopped near Jasper and Alice. I was looking around, trying to figure out what I was supposed to do next. Without a warning, all of them took off in different directions, leaving Edward and I alone once again.

"They want to give you privacy on your first hunt." I nodded in understanding. "Alright, Bella. Close your eyes and listen closely." I did as Edward instructed me. At first I couldn't hear anything but then I heard the sound of hoof beats. Deer. "That's right. Now, you need to figure out where they are at." I listened closer and pointed to my right. "Yes." I opened my eyes and looked at Edward. "Let go, Isabella. Let your instinct take over."

And so I did. I followed the sound of their heartbeats until I was close enough to smell them. I thought I wouldn't like their smell but they smelled delicious. I picked a buck out of the pack and raced towards him. Sensing a predator, he took off running for his life. I chased after him, the thrill of the hunt pumping through my veins. I sensed a presence behind me but my focus was solely on my next meal. I saw an opportunity and leaped on top of the buck, sinking my teeth into his throat. He fell to the ground right away but I did not let go until I drank him dry. Once again, I sensed someone behind me and turned around, snarling. It took me a second to realize that it was Edward standing with his hands up in surrender. I quickly composed myself, apologizing for my behavior.

"It's alright, love."

"But I snarled at you!" I was so embarrassed.

"I should have known better than to sneak up on you while you were feeding."

"Still."

"Don't worry about it." Edward smiled at me. "You ready to try something else?"

"Sure, what did you have in mind?"

"Mountain lion" He said with a mischievous smile.

He took off running but I caught up with him in no time. I poked my tongue out at him as I passed him by. Ah, the perks of being a newborn. His laughter filled the forest. A moment later, Edward caught up with me and raced past me. Show off. I knew from others he was the fastest in the family. I kept following him but then caught a scent of something. I stopped following him and ran towards the wonderful smell. I vaguely heard Edward calling my name but I kept running. I stopped on the edge of the forest and took in the scene in front of me. There was a pair of hunters in the far part of the clearing. I realized that the scent was coming from them, since there were no other animals around. The monster inside of me growled for their blood and I took a step towards them. I took another step and another until I heard a different voice scream in my head. It was begging me stop. The monster was still screaming for blood. I stopped dead in my tracks, unable to figure out which voice to listen to. Just as I felt the predatory side take over, an image of Charlie and Renee popped into my head. Those two humans were somebody's parents. They had families waiting at home for them. That did it for me. I quickly turned around and ran as fast as I could, away from them. I wasn't looking where I was going and ended up crashing into someone. Both of us ended up on the ground. I recognized Edward by his scent.

"Bella." He began.

"Edward, I'm so sorry. I almost killed them. I'm so sorry." I kept apologizing, terrified by the monster inside of me.

"It's alright, love. You didn't hurt them. They are okay." He comforted me. I buried my face in his chest, trying to calm down. "How did you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Bella, you stopped mid-hunt."

"And?" I didn't understand what the big deal was.

"No newborn vampire is able to do that. There is no overriding the blood lust."

"I don't know. The voice inside of my head kept screaming for me to stop, while the monster begged for their blood. I nearly gave in but then an image of my parents popped into my head. That's how I was able to run away. I was reminded of the fact that they were someone's parents. They had a family waiting for them." I looked up to see Edward looking at me in awe.

"You're amazing, you know that, right?" He picked me and lifted me off the ground. I squealed from surprise. "You show remarkable self-control for such a new vampire."

"So is this my gift?"

"I'm not sure, love. Did you feel any different while you were thinking about the humans?"

"Not really. I mean, I felt the struggle between myself and the monster but nothing else."

"Well, we'll talk to Carlisle about that."

"Hey there, lovebirds!" Emmett bellowed. Edward put me down on the ground and I noticed Cullens coming back and gathering around.

"How did everything go?" Carlisle questioned. I bowed my head in shame and let Edward tell the story.

"Well, you see, I was taking Bella on a hunt for a mountain lion. Everything was going well until she caught a different scent. I don't think she realized what it was but I did. Humans."

"Edward, you should have been more careful!" Carlisle exclaimed.

"I know. I didn't think there would be any in this area. Like I was saying, she took off running. I tried to catch up with her but Bella is a lot faster than me at the moment."

"Oh no." I heard Esme say.

"She was walking towards the humans and then she turned and ran the other way."

"What?" A chorus of voices said.

"She stopped and turned around. Bella was able to stop mid-hunt." Edward said proudly. There was a long pause before the Cullens broke out into congratulations. I still didn't feel like I deserved that. I mean, I nearly killed two people.

"Bella, you should be proud of yourself." Jasper spoke up. I gave him a small smile of appreciation.

"Okay, let's all head back." Alice said in a commanding tone. "Apparently someone is a messy eater and needs to change." She winked at me. I looked down and sure enough, I had blood all over my jacket. I swear, if I could still blush, I'd be tomato red by now. Edward took my hand and we took off together.

We arrived to find the Denali clan gathered in the living room. I excused myself to go take a shower and change. When I made it back downstairs, a conversation was in full swing. Edward called me over, to sit next to him. I took my seat and leaned into him. Momentarily, his arms wrapped around me, keeping me safe. We all spent hours listening to the old tales told by Carmen and Eleazar. It was quiet amazing to hear stories about the Denali family history as well as the Cullens. It was the first time the name Volturi was mentioned.

"Who are they?" I asked.

"They are three brothers who make sure the rules of the vampire world are obeyed." Eleazar explained.

"So they are royalty among vampires?"

"You could say that."

"What are the rules?"

"There's really only one-to keep our identities hidden from the humans."

"And if that rule is broken, what's the punishment?" I was afraid of the answer.

"Death." I gasped. So the Cullens put themselves in danger when they welcomed me into their family.

"You risked your lives for me?" I asked, turning to face them.

"We're not in danger." Edward tried to comfort me.

"Um, yes you are. Eleazar said that if a human ever found out, the vampires would be punished." I exclaimed.

"That's true but you are no longer human."

"How is that different?"

"The exception to that rule is if the human will be turned. Since you are a vampire now, our family is safe." Edward kissed the top of my head. I exhaled slowly.

"I'm sorry for freaking out, everyone."

"It's understandable. You care about your family." Irina said. Yep, definitely liking her more and more.

"Alright, I think that was enough excitement for one night. Edward, Bella, we'll be leaving in the morning. I think you should go pack up your things." Carlisle said. The two of us got up and did as we were told. I couldn't wait till morning. We would be in our new home!

Since I was the only one who hasn't seen the house in Alaska, I was blindfolded. The excuse was along the lines of "we don't want to spoil the surprise for you". Any other time, I would argue but I was too excited to see it, so I agreed. The ride wasn't that long, considering the way Cullens drove. I felt the car come to a stop and eagerly reached for the door. Edward laughed at my enthusiasm and helped out of the car. Finally, the blindfold was taken off.

I gasped when I saw the house. It was a huge two story cabin. Guess the Cullens did have a thing for them. Huge stones covered the lower half of the house while logs were covering the upper half. There was a tower like structure on the left side, which I was told was a reading room. I loved it and couldn't wait to see the inside. Jasper, feeling my giddiness, said that it would be better if we went inside. Alice mentioned that our bedroom, as in mine and Edward's, was in the back of the house on the second floor. I quickly glanced around, complementing Esme on her decorating skills, and dragged Edward to our room.

"Where are you in such a hurry to?" Emmett yelled, earning laughs from the rest of the family. I completely ignored him. I had no time for his little jokes. Our room was beyond my wildest expectations. The walls were painted in a calming sage color and wooden beams were lined against the wall for support. There was a king sized canopy bed. I noticed that the second wall wasn't covered in windows but a number of French doors. There was also a small couch and a coffee table. We even had our own balcony. It was a perfect.

"Do you like it?" I heard Edward ask, after I've been looking around the room for a few minutes.

"It's perfect. I'm just amazed by this."

"I'm glad you like it. Esme redecorated it recently."

"Why?" I couldn't imagine why she would do that.

"Well, this was my room from the start and I didn't think the old décor would fit you."

"You didn't have to go through all of this trouble just for me."

"It was not trouble at all." I heard Esme say from the doorway. I went over to her and thanked her. "I'm happy you like it. If you want to change anything, please let me know."

"No, I wouldn't want to change it. It's amazing." She nodded and left to give Edward and me some privacy, closing the door behind her.

"So we get our own bed?" I turned to Edward, raising an eyebrow. I quickly closed the distance between us and wrapped my arms around him.

"I thought it would work better than a couch." He remarked.

"You two better be decent. I'm coming in and I don't want to be scarred for the rest of my existence." I heard Alice at the door. I stepped away from Edward and opened the door. The evil pixie was standing there, with a huge smile on her face. Oh, just you wait, pixie, revenge is sweet.

"Did you need something, Alice?" I asked.

"Yes, as the matter of fact, I do." She turned her attention to Edward. "The moving truck has arrived with your precious CD's."

"And this couldn't wait?" I asked, feeling my annoyance go through the roof.

"Nope." She said, exiting the room. "Oh, and you're welcome, Eddie-boy." She called out.

I turned to Edward, confused by Alice's last comment. He just shrugged his shoulders and headed downstairs. Him and his stupid CDs. It took us a good half of the day to unpack everything in our room. Our room-I don't think I would ever get tired of saying that. I was in such a good mood that I even volunteered to help Alice unpack her clothing. Never again! That girl had a serious problem, which the family chose to ignore.

Unpacking took up a bit longer than anticipated since the moment the TV and Xbox were unpacked, Emmett challenged everyone to a game of Halo. The tournament continued into the wee hours of the morning and no work had been done. I had to admit, I was surprised when both Carlisle and Esme stepped up to the challenge. Who would have thought?

So by the end of day two in our new home, everything was done. I was currently sitting in the reading room when it hit me. I've been cooped up in a house for the past week. Sure, I went out hunting but I never went out into the town. I craved the normalcy of everyday life. I figured I could talk to Edward and maybe get him to take me out for a few hours. I mean, I knew it would be hard but I did have my gift. Maybe it would give me a chance to perfect it.

"Edward," I called out, slowly approaching him. He looked up from the book he was reading, giving me his full attention. "I was wondering if we could get out of the house for a little while."

"Oh, do you need to hunt?"

"No, not hunting. I was hoping to go into the town for a little bit." I said hopefully.

"Love, I don't think that's such a good idea. You're still so new to this lifestyle. I'm not sure if you have enough control over your blood lust."

"But you said I had exceptional self-control."

"I know but…"

"I didn't kill those men, Edward. Shouldn't that count for something?" I cut him off.

"Bella, please, don't get mad. It's just I don't want anything to happen. Trust me, I know the feeling of regret and guilt after taking a human life." He pleaded with me.

Don't get me wrong, I understood his point quiet well. It's just that I felt like a prisoner in this house. I could feel myself suffocating, even though that was not physically possible. My shoulders slumped in defeat. I knew I couldn't win this one. Edward walked over to me and embraced me.

"I'm so sorry, love. I wish this was easier. Maybe in a few months, once we work more on your control, we can go out to town." He was rubbing my back soothingly.

"Yea." I whispered in agreement. There was a soft knock on the door and both of us turned towards the sound. Alice walked in, followed by Jasper.

"Are you sure?" I heard Edward ask. Both Alice and Jasper nodded. "How long?"

"For about a few days now." Jasper answered. I hated when they were having their silent conversations.

"Bella, why didn't you tell me sooner?" Edward asked, gaining my attention.

"Tell you what?"

"That you've been feeling like that." Oh, right. Jasper=empath.

"I thought it was because of the Denali's house. And then we moved here and I figured it would go away. I didn't want to bother you with this. It's not that important." I bowed my head in embarrassment. I felt Edward lift my chin up so I would look at him.

"Bella, your happiness is of great importance for me. Please promise me that you will come to me at any time. You're my everything. I want to make sure you are safe and happy."

"Okay."

"Alice, are you sure this will work?" Edward asked.

"Positive. Everything will go without a hitch."

"Great. Tell Rose and Emmett to get ready."

"What's going on?" I asked after Alice and Jasper left.

"Well, it seems that we will be able to go into town after all." Edward answered, with a crooked grin on his face. I raised myself so I could reach his lips and kissed him with all of the passion I felt for him. I don't know what I've done to deserve such loving man.

"Maybe I should take you out more." He joked once we broke apart.

"Mmm…maybe you should. You never know what could happen." I wagged my eyebrows, making Edward laugh.

And then I remembered something. I didn't have the proper clothing to go out. Sure, Alice grabbed a few items from Forks but those were not appropriate for Alaska. It's not that I would feel cold or anything but it would look suspicious. Of course, I shouldn't have been worried. Alice barged in a few moments later, dragging me away from Edward. I was ecstatic about the little outing that I didn't even struggle. Half an hour later, I was ready to go.

We took family SUV so all of us could fit in. I was bouncing in my seat on the way there. Alice was doing the same thing and poor Jasper begged us to tone it down. Since neither one of us wanted to tone it down, we played paper, rock, scissors. I won! I made sure not to make any definite decisions thus not giving Alice the advantage. She pouted at me but calmed down.

We drove to a less populated area, making sure that there were only few humans around. Jasper was here to make help out in case my emotions got out of control. And Emmett came along for the physical restraint. I mean, if anyone could restrain me, it would be him. Edward parked the car and I tentatively stepped out. I saw couple of people walking around the street but waited to take my first breath. I felt Edward's calming presence and slowly breathed in.

I was assaulted by his scent first, followed by the smell of the exhaust of the cars, pavement, trees, and finally the humans. I gasped, feeling the monster within me rejoice at the prospect of a meal. I felt Edward tighten him hold on me. He silently asked me if I was okay and I nodded yes. I took another breath. This time, they were closer and their scent more powerful. The monster hissed and I was terrified to hear the hiss escape my lips. I felt myself lunge in the direction of the humans and stopped breathing immediately. Without a hesitation, Edward guided me back into the car and the rest of my family followed. Once inside, I felt a wave of calm. I thanked Jasper right away. I couldn't help feeling disappointed. I thought I was better at this. On the ride here, I was even thinking that I'd be able to visit Charlie and Renee-just to make sure they were alright. And now, all of my plans came crashing down.

"Don't feel like that, Bella." Jasper spoke up. "You did exceptionally well. You've showed great self-control that a one week newborn doesn't possess."

"I wanted their blood, Jasper. I nearly ran after them! What kind of self-control is that?" I exclaimed.

"But you didn't, love." Edward tried to make me feel better.

"Only because you were holding me back." I countered. "And Jasper was probably influencing me."

"Bella, you let me take back into the car. You went without a fight. If that was a normal newborn, those people would've been dead by now." He reached for my hand and took it into his.

"And I wasn't using my gift on you, Bella. That was all you." Jasper said.

"Please, don't feel as if you've failed. We will figure it out. I'm sure you'll get a lot better soon enough. Okay?"

"Okay." I agreed. Maybe they were right and time was what I needed.


	21. Chapter 21

"We never said this would be easy."

"Yea, no shit, Rosalie." I exclaimed, feeling frustrated. We were all sitting in the living room. I was in Edward's lap, trying to calm down. Rose didn't deserve the way I treated her so I shot her an apologizing look. She nodded, forgiving me.

It's been a whole month and I've made minimal progress. Every day we would do the same thing over and over again. One of the Cullens would run into the woods and mark a tree with human blood (the perks of having a doctor in the family). My job was to find the said tree and not attack it. So far, the forest was losing trees every day. Everything would go smoothly until I was a few meters away from the tree. Once the smell would get stronger, the monster took over without a warning. I've tried so many times to stop but it hasn't worked so far. To say I was frustrated would be an understatement. Alice once had the nerve to say that at least it wasn't a real human. Oh, if looks could kill, she'd be on the ground.

"Bella, it took us years to get to the point where you're at." Alice tried to pacify me. "Some longer than others." Her eyes shot to Jasper.

"I know. I guess I just expected this to be a bit easier. I still don't understand how I did it the first time."

"Look at the bright side, love. At least the tree was still standing when you were done with it." He shot me a mischievous grin. I couldn't help laughing. Edward's been extremely supportive of my attempts. He knew how to calm me down after each unsuccessful attempt. I didn't know how it was possible but I loved him more and more each day. And I made sure I reminded him of that every day.

"I might have a theory as to why you stopped on the first day." All eyes shot to Carlisle. "I think it was because your memories were still strong. You remembered your parent and your human life more clearly."

I nodded, processing his theory. It was true. My memories have been fading. My strongest were of my time in Forks. Carlisle thought it was because of my strong emotions toward Edward and his presence in my memories. That made sense. I remembered Charlie better than Renee, which made me uneasy in the beginning. After all, I only spoke to her while in Forks. Her face was a bit distorted in my memoires. Sadly, I still remembered Lauren and her little minions. Mike Newtown still gave me the creeps.

It was last week when I asked Alice to peak at my parents' future. I wanted to make sure they were okay even though I couldn't see them. Alice promised they were going to fine. She even said that Renee moved back to Forks. That surprised me. For some reason, I clearly remembered that she disliked that town. I guess everyone grieves in their own way.

My way was to go deeply into the forest and just sit for hours. I would shut everything out and just remember. Most of my childhood memories were extremely fuzzy and sporadic, while some faded away. I still could picture Renee braiding my hair on my first day of school. I remembered the fishing trip Charlie talked about. That was one was clearer. I could see my mother's second wedding. She and Phil were so happy. I still couldn't believe he was gone. But what frustrated me the most was the fact that I remembered my last day of human life perfectly. I memorized every word James said, every cut he made, and every bruise he left on my body. I was happy that during my transformation, all of my imperfections disappeared. I didn't need a constant reminder of what James had done to me-I had my memories.

Between my training and grieving my emotions were all over the place. Sometimes I would snap at my family for no apparent reason. I felt so bad about my episodes. They did nothing but support me and I was acting like a crazy person. The only person who could calm me down was my Edward. He could read my moods perfectly and all it took was his touch to make it all better. He has been my rock through this time.

"They'll be arriving shortly." Alice announced.

The Denalis were visiting us today. I was still in a sour mood so I excused myself. Rose volunteered to go with me. I ran through the forest. It had a somewhat calming effect on me. I decided to turn back after about twenty minutes. I knew that our guests had arrived since I could smell them. Rose entered the house first and I followed.

"Why would you do that? The blood is more potent. No wonder she's unable to stop herself. At least when she sees the actual humans, she can fight the monster." I heard Tanya argue. "Carlisle, you of all people should have caught on to that."

"It could be true." Jasper said. "She didn't fight you when we took her into town, Edward. You remember what happened the first day we tried the experiment with blood? She threw Emmett off like he was nothing."

"So you haven't attempted to take her into town again?" Tanya exclaimed.

"No. The way she was reacting to blood made me believe she wouldn't be able to control herself." Edward answered. I walked into the room, making myself known. That didn't stop the conversation.

"Well, no wonder her control isn't getting better." Kate cut in. I greeted everyone and took my seat by Edward. I had to give it to Tanya-she proved true to her word. She took a seat that was as far away from Edward as possible. She even smiled at me. I figured it wouldn't hurt if I returned the gesture.

"We just thought she was able to stop in the beginning because her memories were clearer." Carlisle explained.

"I can't believe how blind and stupid I've been." Edward sounded ashamed. I squeezed his hand, reassuring him. He was not to blame.

"You weren't the only one." Jasper said. "We all should have realized this sooner. I guess it pays to have a fresh perspective on this situation."

"So does that mean you'll be taking her into town?" Laurent spoke up.

"I think we should try. Maybe Tanya's right." Edward said. I looked at him, shocked by this.

"Do you think that's such a great idea?" I voiced my fears.

"I think we should give it a try."

"What if I can't control myself?"

"You'll have all of us there to keep an eye on you." Irina said. "Yes, all of us will come for support."

"Alice?"

"I think it will work, Edward."

"You think?"

"It's Bella. She keeps changing her mind." All eyes turned to me.

"I just don't know about this. What if…"

"Love, you'll be fine." Edward said, looking into my eyes. "Trust me."

"Okay."

"Alright, we will wait until it gets dark and then all of us will go." Alice bounced out of her seat. "And you," She pointed at me. "you're going hunting."

"You need to calm down, love. It's going to be fine." Edward tried to calm me down. We were on our way into town and I was feeling worse than the first time. At least then I thought I could do it. Now, I wasn't so sure. I took a deep breath, taking in Edward's scent. It always helped me relax and right now I took any help I could get. Jasper was in the other car and I didn't want to bother him. I felt the car come to a stop and waited for Edward to get me. He took my hand in his, smiling reassuringly. Well, at least he was confident.

"So what's the plan?" A very excited Emmett asked. I couldn't help smiling at him. I was still holding my breath, afraid of my reaction. There weren't that many people out this evening which was fine by me.

"We're all going to stay close to Bella, just in case. Garrett, Kate, Laurent, and Irina-you will be in front of the group." They nodded and took their places. "Now, Jasper and Emmett on both sides of Bella."

"What about you?" I asked.

"I'll be right by your side, don't worry."

"The rest will be in the back." He turned to the remaining members of our group.

True to his word, Edward kept to my side. He put his arm around my waist, both reassuring and restraining me. I was flanked by the rest of my family and friends on other sides. Yes, I said it, friends. If everything would go well, I would be forever grateful to Tanya.

We saw some people up ahead and I was instructed to breathe. I took one small breath in, testing my reaction. I felt fine so I took a bigger breath. That's when the scent hit me. There were three of them, of that I was sure. The monster came to life instantly. I heard its snarls, begging for blood, and stiffened. Edward, sensing my hesitation, positioned himself behind me, securing both of his arms around me. I nodded that I was okay. I had to get this right. The rest of the group stood around me, ready at any moment to restrain me. I took another deep breath. I could feel the back of my throat start to burn. I swallowed hard, willing it to go away. I could feel my body starting to lean towards the humans.

"Everyone in the front, I need you to move out of the way." When no one moved, Edward continued. "She needs to see their faces." Understanding dawned on them and they moved. I now had a clear view of my prey.

They were three teenagers, kids really. I looked at them and saw my old friends. The monster in me kept pushing me to make my move but I stood still. I would not be the one to take their lives away because mine was taken away from me. I would not become a monster like James. I kept breathing in and out, letting my throat burn. Before long, those kids passed me by and I didn't even flinch. I heard a collective sigh of relief.

"You did it, love." I felt his breath tickle my neck and turned to face him, a blinding smile on my face. He lifted me off the ground and I buried my face in his neck. I still couldn't believe I just did that. After a month of failure, I successfully kept my monster in check.

"Okay, that's enough for one day." Alice said, bringing me out of my happy bubble. "It's best we head back home. She needs to feed again."

I was about to protest but Edward agreed. "It's true. Your eyes are a lot darker even though you've hunted earlier." Without another word, I headed in the direction of our cars. I felt extremely good about tonight's events. I reminded myself to thank Tanya. If it wasn't for her, this would not have happened. When we arrived at the house, I walked over to Tanya. Everyone else went inside, giving us privacy.

"Could I speak to you for a moment?" I saw her surprised reaction.

"Sure." We started walking into the woods. I think she understood that I didn't want others overhearing our conversation.

"Tanya, I wanted to thank you for today. If it wasn't for you, we probably wouldn't have figured it out this quick."

"Not a problem, Bella. I'm glad I could help out."

"And I also wanted to apologize for the way I've treated you."

"There's nothing to apologize for." She reassured me. "Trust me, I was in your shoes, I'd act the same way."

"I know but it still doesn't excuse my behavior."

"Well, I forgive you so you have nothing to feel bad about." She smiled at me.

"Friends?" I asked, extending my hand.

"Friends." She agreed, shaking it. We smiled at each other and made our way back to the house. "I have to say, that was pretty impressive. How were you able to control yourself?"

"Honestly, it wasn't easy. I've struggled in the beginning. The constant battle takes out a lot. I was ready to give in but then Edward realized that I needed to see them. It's a lot easier for me to win over the monster when I can humanize them. Those kids reminded me of my friends in school. I could never hurt them after that."

"That's amazing, Bella. It truly is. And to think you're only what, a five week old vampire? You have exceptional self-control."

"Thank you, Tanya."

"Sure thing."

Both of us entered the house at the same time to be greeted by surprised faces. Tanya snickered and took her seat. I kept staring at them, trying to figure out why they were reacting like that. Then it hit me.

"Wait, did they expect us…" I trailed off, looking at Tanya.

"I believe so." She confirmed my suspicions. We looked at each other and burst out laughing. I'm sure they were looking at us like we were crazy but I couldn't help myself. I felt Edward embrace me but I kept laughing. Soon, I heard the rest of them join in.

"Gosh, I haven't laughed like that in a while." I said once I was able to talk.

"I'm glad we could amuse you." I heard Garrett say, laughter still evident in his voice.

"I think we should head home." Laurent said. "Carmen and Eleazar should be getting home soon."

The rest of the Denalis got up and we walked them out. The girls promised to visit more often. I even heard something about a spa day. I cringed at those words. Once they left, Carlisle called for a family meeting in the living room.

"First of all, Bella congratulations on a job well done. You were amazing today."

"Thank you, Carlisle. I couldn't have done it without everyone's help."

"Secondly, I think this should be the focus of her training from now on. Let's keep working on getting her used to the human scent. And maybe after she gets better, we can go back to the blood on the trees to see how well it would work." He concluded.

"I think it's a good plan." Edward agreed. "We have to make sure we have at least four of us to restrain her."

"Good idea, Edward." Carlisle nodded. "Also, let's stick to nighttime." He looked around the room. "It seems we have our work cut out for us. What do you say, Bella. You're ready for this?"

"Yes." I said with eagerness. I couldn't wait to improve on my control.

The next month was exhausting. During daytime I would hunt. This was a precaution for the evening activities. No one wants to put a hungry vampire in the middle of the town. And my evenings consisted of spending time among humans. At first, Edward made sure to go to less populated areas. Emmett, Jasper, Rose, and Alice were always with us. Sometimes Esme would come along.

It always started out with two or three humans around. Edward stayed by my side, restraining me. After every time I'd do well, he would loosen his hold on me a little bit. We limited our encounters to one per evening but increased to two during the second week. The big breakthrough came during the middle of that week when I was able to enter a coffee shop with six people in it. The visit was short lived since I felt my control slip and let Edward know. Still, it was a huge step up from how I used to be. By the end of the week, the experiment with human blood was resumed. It was a bit difficult at first but by week three, I was able to restrain myself. Let's just say, there was an extremely grateful tree in our backyard.

"So Edward's birthday is next week." Alice said, while we were out hunting. They decided to do an all girls hunt and even invited the three sisters and Carmen.

"Oh?" I was a horrible person because I didn't even know my boyfriend's birthday. Well, he was more than a boyfriend but I wasn't sure what the correct title would be.

"Are you planning anything special?" Kate asked.

"Well, you know how Edward gets." That seemed to make sense to everyone but me.

"What do you mean?"

"He doesn't really like celebrating it. He always said how he had nothing special to celebrate. I think he was feeling left out a bit, since all of us had mates."

"Well, that won't do this year." I was set on making his birthday a very memorable occasion. "Alice, got any ideas?"

"Oh, this is going to be great!" She squealed. "Bella, he's going to love your present."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes!"

"Care to share with the rest of us?" Rose irritated voice came through.

"I was thinking how Edward doesn't have his piano here. So I thought I'd find one and have it delivered for his birthday."

"That's a wonderful idea, Bella." Esme agreed.

"Alice, will you take care of decorations?" She nodded. "Great, now I need someone to go with me to find a piano. Anyone know anything about the instrument?"

"Actually, I do." Rose spoke up. "What, don't look at me like that. I used to play."

"I guess it's you and me then. Well, I'm going to need more reinforcements, in case of control issues."

"We'll go with you." Tanya answered, Kate and Irina nodding in agreement.

"Esme, would you like to come along?" I asked, not wanting her to feel left out.

"That's alright, dear. I think I'll stay with Alice to keep an eye on her." She winked.

"Hey!" Alice exclaimed in mock hurt. I shook my head at her.

"When are you planning on having the party, Alice?" I looked over to her.

"Friday. So you have plenty of time. Trust me."

"I do, pixie, I do." I turned to the rest of my partners in crime. "So tomorrow then?" They nodded in agreement. "And, please, make sure Edward doesn't find out." I pleaded.

"Explain to me again why you're going shopping?"

"Edward, the girls wanted to spend a day together and who am I to say no."

"But you're going voluntarily. That's strange." He was still suspicious. "And Alice is staying behind."

"That's because the pixie lost a bet." Rose stepped in, helping me out. Alice huffed for the effect.

"Alright, love. Have fun." He kissed me sweetly and then turned to the girls. "Ladies, I'm trusting you with her."

"Yea, yea, yeah. We get it, Edward. Keep an eye on her. Make sure she doesn't kill anyone." Tanya said, pulling me along. "Don't worry about anything."

"Love you!" I yelled while being dragged outside. I heard him say love you in reply.

"You guys are making me sick!" Rose exclaimed. "So lovey-dovey."

"Whatever, Rose." I mumbled, getting into the car. "Alright, ladies. Let's hit the road!"

It took us some time to find the correct store. Girls kept trying to drag me into Victoria's Secret, saying that would be a better present for Edward. I voted against it. We finally made it into the store which specialized in pianos.

"Hello, ladies. How may I help you today?" A friendly salesman asked. I gave a silent sign that I was okay to the girls before speaking.

"Hello. I'm looking for a baby grand piano. A black one preferably."

"I have just what you are looking for. If you would follow me." I walked after him. "Ah, here it is."

It was perfect. I knew right away Edward would love it. I carefully ran my fingers across the keys. I looked over at Rosalie and she nodded, letting me know it was a good choice.

"Do you play?" Salesman asked.

"No, but my boyfriend does. This is a birthday present for him." I explained.

"He must be one lucky man to have such a wonderful girlfriend."

"Thank you. Do you think you'll be able to deliver it on Friday? Around five in the evening?"

"Of course. Let me write down the address. We could also put a big bow on it, if you want?" I pictured it for a moment. I thought it would be a fun addition so I said yes. I handed him the credit card Esme had given me for my personal use. One of the perks of being a Cullen, I guess. I tried to argue against it but she would hear none of it.

Once the sale was finalized, we stepped out of the store.

"So, what do you want to do now?" Kate asked.

"This was it. So I'm at your mercy, ladies." Their squeals of delight made me nearly deaf.

"Hey, at least you don't have any permanent scars." Edward tried to sooth me. We were lying on our bed while I recounted the horrors of today.

"Not physical." I grumbled. "You should have seen it. I didn't think I'd make it out alive."

"Love, I'm sorry to break it to you but you're already dead." I shot him a glare. "Plus, I did see it. You're just lucky Alice wasn't there. It could have been much worse." I gulped, realizing the truth in his words.

"At least I had enough sense to play the "my control is slipping" card." I bragged.

"Bella! That was so not fair!" I heard Rose shout from downstairs.

"So you were fine throughout the whole day?" Edward asked.

"Yes! It was an amazing feeling." I was beaming with pride.

"I'm very happy for you, love. You're an amazing woman." He leaned in to give me a short kiss but I had different ideas. We broke apart several minutes later, panting. "As much as I would love to continue this but Alice is screaming in my head for me to let you go. Something about a fashion show?"

"Ugh, don't ask." I planted a chaste kiss and made my way to Alice's room. I agreed to show off the clothes girls bought for me today for Alice. I knew she's seen them already but since she was helping me out, I decided to humor her. Things you do for love.


	22. Chapter 22

And so the day was finally here. We worked extremely hard throughout the whole week, making sure Edward never suspected anything. Alice kept her psychic eye on him so she would know when he'd be in the house and when he'd leave. I have to say, the four of us made quiet a team. Yea, it was girls only since we didn't think the guys could keep a secret. They would find out on Friday afternoon, after I would take Edward out of the house. Alice was so excited at the progress we were making that she suggested we should plot to take over the world next. The three of us rolled our eyes at her and laughed. Only Alice would come up with something like that.

We invited our friends to come over around four in the afternoon. It was no getting close to three and it was the right time to get Edward out of the house. Everyone else would work on setting everything up. I wasn't really sure what you would do for a vampire's birthday party. Food and cake were out of the question. I was glad Alice was taking care of that.

I knew Edward was in the reading room so I decided to have a little fun with him.

"Eddie! Oh, Eddie!" I called out, walking inside the room. Once inside, I looked around. He was nowhere to be found. Huh, I could have sworn he was here earlier. Before I could even say anything else, I was lifted up and thrown over the shoulder. I squeaked in surprise and the silly vampire took off running into our room. I started slapping him on his back, telling him to put me down but he just laughed at my weak attempts. I sighed in defeat. When we got inside the room, he threw me on the bed and jumped on top of me, hovering over me.

"You know, you're lucky I love you." He used my words on me.

"Yea? How so?" I breathed out, enjoying our closeness.

"You're the only one who can get away with calling me Eddie." He leaned down to kiss me. "So what was it you needed?"

"Well, I was thinking we should spend some time together."

"We always spend time together." He looked down at me, confused.

"True but I'm usually emotionally or physically spent. So I was thinking we could go into the woods. There's a nice little pond there and we could just sit there."

"Sure! Just let me get a blanket." He exited the room and I quickly changed into a nice sweater dress, leggings, and flats. I've been lounging around in my sweats (that had Alice's seal of approval) today-not an appropriate attire for an outing in the forest. Edward came back into the room and we went downstairs.

"Be back soon." I called out as we exited the house.

"Have fun you two." Alice said, as she nodded and winked at Edward. What was that about?

We raced towards our destination and Edward let me win. It would usually bother me but it was his birthday, so I let it go. He found a perfect spot and spread out the blanket. I sat down next to him.

"Happy birthday." I said as I planted a short kiss on his lips.

"How did you find out?" I raised my eyebrow. The answer was obvious. "Alice." He sighed.

"I wish you would've told me."

"I'm sorry, love. I just don't see what the big fuss is all about."

"I agree with you completely. I'm not big on my birthday either."

"We're still celebrating it."

"And how would you know when it was? For all you know, it's already passed."

"It hasn't. It's on September 13th." He said. I was shocked. I know I haven't told him or any of the Cullens for that matter.

"How did you know?"

"Bella, I know everything when it comes to you." He winked at me. "I took a peak at your driver's license."

"Figures." I lay down and Edward followed. He seemed to fidget with something. Come to think of it, he's been fidgeting since after he got the blanket.

"Is everything okay, Edward?"

"Everything's fine, love. Why?"

"You seem to fidget a bit."

"You're quiet observant."

"I've been known to be on occasion."

"So is this my present?" He asked.

"This could hardly qualify as a present. This is more of an apology for being distant for the past couple of months." I sat up and he followed. "Edward, I'm so sorry for not being there for you these past months."

"There's nothing to apologize for, Bella. You need time to adjust to this new lifestyle and you need to grieve."

"I just feel like I've been so distracted with everything lately. And I am sorry for that but I promise to that from now on, things will be different." I vowed to be a better mate for him. He's helped me through so much.

"Love, please don't feel like you're at fault here. There's nothing to be sorry for, okay?"

"Okay." I agreed.

"Was that my present?"

"What makes you think you're getting one?" I laughed but he pouted. "Hey, you're the one who doesn't want to celebrate his birthday, mister. No need to be pouting." I shook my finger at him and he laughed at me. I looked around and noticed sunlight streaming through the trees. I got up and walked over, extending my arm. I was still in awe of the vampire skin. It looked so surreal.

"Beautiful." I heard him say. I turned around and gasped. He was on one knee.

"Isabella, you are the most amazing woman I've ever met. I love you with all of my heart. You're my angel and even though I don't deserve it, you still love me. I want to spend the rest of my existence loving you. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?" He held out a velvet box and opened it. I didn't bother looking at the ring because I dropped to the ground and launched myself at him, kissing him hard. He wrapped his arms around me and matched my hunger. We broke apart a few minutes later.

"So is that a yes?" He questioned. I realized I never answered him.

"Yes! Of course it's a yes." I exclaimed. The biggest smile lit up his face and he slid the ring on my finger.

"Perfect fit." He murmured and kissed my ring finger.

"It's beautiful." I whispered, taking a closer look at it. It was an antique white gold ring with a large oval stone in the middle, flanked by rectangular stones on the side. Smaller round stones covered the ring halfway around.

We lay down again and spent our time wrapped up in each other. Before long, my phone rang. Reluctantly, I broke away from Edward and checked my phone. It was a text from Alice telling me to head back home. I sighed and sat up.

"What?" Edward asked, sensing the change in my mood.

"It's Alice. She told us to come home."

"I don't want to." He said, pulling me back down. I laughed at his childish behavior.

"I know you don't want to but would you rather have her come and get you?"

"Fine." He grumbled, getting up. "But the only reason I'm going is because my beautiful fiancé said so." He gave me my smile. I picked up the blanket and we slowly headed back, trying to prolong our alone time.

We finally reached the house and I saw that our guests were already here.

"I didn't know we were having anyone over." Edward said. I just shrugged, not wanting to lie to him. He took my left hand into his, covering up the ring.

We stepped inside and were greeted by a chorus of "Surprise". Edward laughed and looked at me, accusation evident in his eyes.

"I'm sorry. I was sworn to secrecy." I pleaded.

"It's fine." He said, lifting our joined hands to his lips.

"Oh my goodness!" I heard Rosalie exclaim.

"Is that what I think it is?" Kate added. I looked up at Edward to see a smug smile on his face. He looked down at me and his smile changed into my crooked grin.

"I've asked Bella to marry me and she was kind enough to agree." He announced.

All of the women left their seats and rushed over to us. There was a chorus of congratulations and hugs. Their mates followed after them, also congratulating us.

"You know what that means?" I heard Alice squeal. "Wedding planning." She was bouncing up and down and clapping her hands. I shook my head at her enthusiasm. Alice and her planning.

Our celebration was interrupted by a door bell. I turned towards the sound.

"Is it five already?" I asked.

"Yes." Alice answered. "Seeing how you two were taking your sweet time getting back."

"I think we had a good excuse." I said, walking towards the door. I opened the door and greeted the delivery man. I heard Edward ask someone what was going on. I couldn't wait to see his reaction.

"Hey Emmett!" I called out. "You mind helping out with this thing?"

He appeared at my side momentarily, followed by Jasper, Garrett, and Laurent and they stepped outside to help. True to his word, the salesman attached a big red bow to the piano. The living room was already cleared out for the delivery and I just pointed them in the right direction. After the delivery man left, I turned to Edward.

"Happy birthday!" I smiled at him.

"Bella, you shouldn't have."

"Just tell me you like it."

"I do. It's beautiful."

"Well, then, I'm glad you like your present."

"But you've already given me the most wonderful present." He said, pointing to my ring finger.

"Why don't you go and play something." I ushered him towards his piano. He sat down on the bench and patted the empty space by him. I took my spot and he began playing my lullaby. Once he was done, he leaned in to kiss me.

"Alright, break it up. Time for presents." Emmett yelled. Sometimes I just wanted to strangle the big bear.

Once the presents were given, everyone sat down. Conversation flowed freely between all of us. It was as if we were all a big family. I smiled, knowing I'd officially become a part of it soon. Throughout the evening, Edward kept playing with my ring. Whenever I would look at him, I would find him looking back at me, smiling. I knew exactly how he felt because I was also on cloud nine.

September

"Alice, you did not!" I yelled.

I couldn't believe she did this. I walked inside the house to be greeted by a sight of a living room decorated for a birthday party. I remembered Edward saying something about celebrating my birthday but I thought he wasn't serious. Apparently, I was wrong.

"Bella, sweetie, you know there is no way I would skip out on celebrating your big day."

"I thought my wedding was the big day."

"It is. But right now, your birthday is also."

I was a bit annoyed so I went to look for Edward. I found him in our room.

"Happy birthday, love." He greeted, capturing my lips. All of my annoyance disappeared instantly.

"Thank you." I said once I was able to speak.

"I have something for you." He reached for a large jewelry box. When he opened it, I saw a huge diamond in a shape of a heart. It was attached to a gold chain.

"Edward, you shouldn't have." I reached out to touch it.

"The diamond, just like the ring, was my mother's. She gave it to me so I would give it to the woman I'd marry." He told me after his birthday party about the ring he had given me. I thought it was quite nice of his mother to give it to him.

"It's beautiful." And it really was.

"May I?" He asked, taking the necklace out of the box. I turned my back to him so he could put it on. Once it was securely around my neck, Edward guided me towards the mirror. I reached out and slowly traced the outline of the heart.

"Thank you so much, Edward." I turned around to kiss him. Before we could deepen our kiss, a loud knock on our door interrupted us.

"Bella, you have ten minutes to get ready and get down stairs. There's a dress and shoes in your closet." Alice's voice came through the door.

I took a look inside my closet and sure enough, there was a beautiful short green dress hanging and a pair of black pumps on the floor. I quickly changed into the dress and put the shoes on. I couldn't reach the zipper so I asked Edward to help. Once I was done, I looked over at Edward. He changed into black dress pants and a white shirt. His bronze hair was its usual messy self but it looked as if he tried to tame it. I took his hand and we made our way downstairs.

"I knew it would look great on you." Alice exclaimed.

"Of course you would know." I said.

"Happy birthday, Bella." She hugged me. Edward stepped away from me as the rest of our guests came over to congratulate us. Esme was the last one.

"I see he's given you the necklace." She said after wishing me a happy birthday.

"He has." I reached to touch it.

"I remember he used to stare at it for hours, thinking about the woman who would wear it. I'm so glad he found you, my dear." I reached out and hugged her. Breaking our embrace, we walked into the living room. The rest of the evening went by the same way as Edward's birthday. The only difference was that wedding plans were also mentioned.


	23. Chapter 23

"Are you serious?" Rosalie exclaimed.

"Rose, would I ever lie about something like that?"

"I just never thought Edward would do that." She was staring at me, open mouthed.

"You mean, use sex in order to have the wedding earlier?" I snickered.

"Yes, that part. What were his exact words?"

"Love, I'm very old-fashioned and I think it would be a more special experience if we waited until after the wedding." I used my best Edward voice.

"He does realize the two of you already slept together, right?"

"Yes. But as he said, that was my human life. Apparently I got my virginity back once I became a vampire." I laughed.

"That is the most ridiculous thing I've heard in my life." Rosalie was literally rolling on the floor.

"But that is so Edward." Alice cut in.

"I'm glad my non-existent sex life for the past six months makes you happy."

"I'm sorry but I just never thought Edward would do something like that." Rose got up from the floor. "But what made you agree though. I mean, he's doing that to himself also."

"He can be very persuasive." I said, hiding my eyes from her.

"Spill, Swan."

"He might have…uuum…demonstrated that EVERY sensation was heightened when one was a vampire." And Rosalie's jaw hit the floor once again.

"Yea, you try seeing that." Alice said, shuddering. "I have those images burned in my head."

"Wow, I don't think Emmett can tease Edward anymore." Rose composed herself.

"Okay, can we get back to the task at hand? I'm getting married in a few hours!" I was bouncing in my chair.

Both girls went back to their tasks. Alice was in charge of doing my make-up and Rose was working her magic on my hair. Both of them already done their own make-up and hair; the only thing left to do was to put their dresses on. I asked Alice to do a soft look and Rose said that the hair style she chose would go perfectly with my dress. Ah, my dress.

The moment I saw it, I fell in love. I think it was a fiftieth dress Alice made me try on but the moment I put it on, I knew that it was the one. It was made out of lace with the exception of a silk sash that wrapped around the waist. It had a plunging neckline and the back was even more open. It hugged my body and flowed freely from the hips. The detail on the dress was exquisite and I decided against the veil. There was no way I would cover the dress up. Instead, I went for a hair style that would cover up the open back. Alice promised I would look spectacular. After all, no one bets against the pixie. I couldn't wait for Edward to see me. All of the girls worked hard on keeping my dress a secret. Not an easy task when one's fiancé can read minds.

"Alright, Bella. Let's get you into the dress." Alice announced. I lifted up my hands and they slowly pulled the dress on me. Rose was buttoning it up when I heard a soft knock on the door. I knew that it was Esme since all of the guys were at Denali's house setting everything up. I told her to come in. The moment she stepped in, Rose and Alice left to put their dresses on. Esme was already dressed and ready to go.

"Bella, you look beautiful. I hope Edward will be able to control himself once he sees you."

"Thank you, Esme." I walked over to hug her.

"I wanted to give you something." She said, opening a jewelry box. Inside was a beautiful antique necklace and matching earrings. "I would love if you would wear this on your wedding day."

"Esme," I gasped. "It's beautiful. I'm not sure…"

"Nonsense." She cut me off. "This had been passed down in my family from mother to daughter and all of my daughters wore this on their wedding day. Well, on their first wedding day. And now it's your turn, my dear."

"I'd be honored, Esme. Thank you so much. For everything." I hugged her again. "Could you help me put it on?" She put the necklace and the earrings on. I was now allowed to look into the mirror until I was completely done. Alice and her rules.

"You're ready to see yourself?" Alice asked, building the anticipation.

"Alice, I've been ready since early this morning. Now stop delaying and let me see." I demanded.

Without a word, she took the sheet off and I finally got a chance to look at myself. I knew the dress looked good but the finished product left me speechless. My hair was curled and done in a half updo. Rose held up a small mirror so I could see the back. Three hair pins were holding it up in the back. They were in the shape of a flower with a sapphire in the middle surrounded by diamonds. Since Esme's and bridesmaid dresses were that blue, it fit in perfectly with the overall theme. My hair came down in soft curls and covered the opened back. The necklace fit in perfectly. I turned around, thanking my sisters and Esme. I was truly blessed to have them in my life.

"Alright, let's get our butts over to Denali's place." Alice commanded.

She bent down to pick up the train of my dress. Since she was my maid of honor, this was one of her many duties. It took me a while to try and figure out who to ask. I didn't want to upset either one of them. I spoke to Rose about it and she told me that I shouldn't even think about it-Alice would be my maid of honor. She reassured me that she was not upset. After all, Alice was my friend first and Rose still felt bad about the way she treated me in the beginning. And so my dilemma was solved.

There were two reasons why the wedding would take place at Denali's house. One, Edward would be away from the house and he would have no way of peeking. Two, the trees in their backyard formed a natural archway and I knew that it would be perfect for the ceremony. Alice has seen it already and agreed that it would look beautiful with the twinkling lights. I decided on having the wedding at the beginning of October. September was the month of my birthday and I wanted our wedding to be a separate occasion. I know! I was becoming such a girly girl. I blame Alice.

I would've have chose and earlier date for the wedding but I wanted to torture Edward a bit. As the saying goes: two can play that game. Plus, I never promised I'd play fair. Anyways, Carmen was more than happy to have our wedding at their house. She even promised to keep an eye on the boys. We all knew how Emmett can get carried away.

I've asked Eleazar to conduct the ceremony because I wanted Carlisle to walk me down the aisle. I considered him my second father. There was no way I would ever forget Charlie or Renee but Esme and Carlisle had become my parents as well. Plus, at the end of the day I would become their daughter-in-law. The thought alone made my face light up in a smile.

"Get your head out of the clouds, Isabella. We need to leave now!" Alice was becoming an extremely bossy pixie. Rather than giving her a piece of my mind, I silently made my way downstairs. We loaded into the SUV and took off to the Denali's house.

"So, are you nervous?" Rose asked.

"Not really." I shrugged. "I would be worried if I was still human-tripping down the aisle and all. But I'm about to make Edward mine for eternity. What's there to be nervous about?"

"Just checking." She seemed satisfied with my answer. We arrived at the house and that's when my nerves kicked in. Stupid Rosalie and her stupid questions. This was all her fault. I glared at her.

"What's that for?" She asked as she was helping me out of the car.

"I was fine until now. You had to go and ask me that question." I grumbled.

"Oh, Bella. Everyone gets nervous on their wedding day, especially a first wedding. It would've happened whether I brought it up or not."

"Keep talking, blondie." I narrowed my eyes. She just laughed at me.

"Can I take a peak?" I asked Alice once I was safely out of the car.

"I will tell you the same thing I told Edward when he asked me the same question. NO!" She yelled.

"Goodness, Alice, overreacting much? It was just a question, no need to yell." Rosalie put in her five cents. Both of us turned towards her and gave her a death glare.

"Sheesh, I'm just going to go check on everything." Rose walked inside the house.

"Anyways, before we were interrupted. Bella, I want you to get the full effect and if I let you peak at it, it won't be the same."

"Fine. So much for this being my special day." I pouted at her.

"Oh no, you don't. I've mastered the pout. It's not going to work on me." She patted my back. "Nice try, though."

I sighed in defeat. We got into the house where everyone was waiting for me. And when I say everyone, I mean everyone except Edward, Emmett, Jasper, and Eleazar. The sisters kept gushing over me. It was as if they've never seen a bride! Alice put some finishing touches on me and gave me the green light. The Denalis and Esme went to take their seats, leaving me with my two crazy sisters and my soon to be father. I took some deep breaths to relax. The beginning chords of my lullaby began to play. I couldn't picture myself walking to any other song. Edward even decided to modify it a bit.

Alice walked out first and a few moments later, Rose followed. Carlisle took me by my hand led me towards the door.

"You look beautiful, Bella." He smiled down at me. "You have no idea how glad I am that Edward has finally found his soul mate. And I couldn't picture anyone better than you. It's an honor to give you away today." I swear, if I could still produce tears, I'd be crying my eyes out.

"Thank you, Carlisle."

"You're ready?" He asked, linking our arms.

"As ready as I'll ever be." I smiled and we stepped outside. What I saw took my breath away. The whole archway was lined with crystal chains and freesias hung from the branches. Tea candles lined the pathway towards the altar and the pathway was covered in red rose petals. The light of the candles was reflected by the crystals, giving it a magical look. It was truly perfect and I was glad Alice didn't let me peak. Carlisle kept walking and I locked eyes with Edward. The whole world seemed to disappear once I saw him. I wanted to run towards him but forced myself to walk in time with music. I still couldn't believe how lucky I was. Edward loved me and wanted to spend the rest of his existence with me. I felt Carlisle stop and followed his example. He turned to me and kissed my forehead. I gave him a grateful smile. He then put my hand into Edward's already waiting. I turned to look at the man I loved.

"Finally." I heard him whisper. "I was about to run down the aisle and drag you here." He joked. I bit back my laughter. I quickly glanced around, noticing Jasper and Emmett standing by Edward's side. Both of them winked at me and I couldn't contain my laugh this time.

"Ahem." Eleazar cleared his throat. "If you two are ready to begin…" He trailed off.

"We are." We said at the same time. I heard a few chuckles from our small audience. I vaguely remember the ceremony and the words spoken. All I could see was Edward. I was brought out of my spell when I heard him say "I do".

"And do you, Isabella, take Edward to be your wedded husband to live together in marriage. Do you promise to love, comfort, honor and keep him. For better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health. And forsaking all others, be faithful only to him for as long as you shall exist?"

"I do." I smiled at my love.

We then were instructed to exchange the rings and were officially pronounced husband and wife. I was beaming with joy. This was it. We were married.

"You may kiss you bride, Edward."

I eagerly stood up on my toes as Edward lowered his face towards me. We met halfway and lost ourselves in our most passionate kiss. Through the haze, I heard Emmett whistling and laughter coming from the guests. I felt Edward smile against my lips before he broke apart.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it gives me great honor to present to you Mr. and Mrs. Edward Cullen."

The small space erupted in cheers and words of congratulations. First, our family came over. Before anyone could even blink, Emmett was at our side, engulfing both of us in his bone crushing hug.

"Welcome to the family, little sister." He said.

"Emmett, if there's even a strand of hair out of place, I will kill you." Alice hissed.

He let us go right away. Esme and Carlisle followed after him and then Jasper, Rosalie, and Alice. After our family was done, our friends came over. It was wonderful to see all of us so happy. If you would've told me six months ago that I would be getting married, I would probably have laughed in your face. And yet, here I was, surrounded by my family and friends. My parents, though they couldn't be here, were alive and happy. What more could I ask for?

"Alright, let's get this party started!" Emmett yelled. Yes, we had a reception. Alice said it was a part of the whole experience. Ultimately, it would be a dancing party. I didn't mind much, seeing how it made her happy. Edward and I stayed behind while everyone else headed for the tent.

"Have I told you how beautiful you look?" He said, gently kissing me.

"Not today." I spoke against his lips.

"Well, I must fix that. You, my love, look beyond words. I couldn't take my eyes off of you when I saw you walking down the aisle. All I could think of was how lucky I am to have an angel in my life." He kissed me again. My arms automatically locked in the back of his head and I raised myself to get closer to him. His hold on me tightened and my body was flush against him.

"You two, break it up." I heard an annoying pixie say. "We need you on the dance floor." I chose to ignore her, continuing to kiss my husband. "NOW!" She yelled.

I heard Edward groan and step away from me. I pouted and he bent down to kiss it away.

"Just wait until our honeymoon. I'll make it up to you." His words sent shivers down my spine.

We stepped inside and Alice told everyone to make room for us. The song both of us agreed on began to play (Angel of Mine) and we took our place to dance as a husband and wife. Just thinking about that brought a smile to my face.

"What are you thinking about, love?" Edward asked while swaying us to the music.

"How lucky I am to have you as my husband." I answered and watched as a brilliant smile lit up his face.

"I love it when you call me that."

"What? My husband?" He simply nodded. "Well, might as well get used to it." I reached up to kiss him. Everything in the world was forgotten. It didn't matter that we were no longer dancing or that there were other people around. All we needed was each other.

"The song has ended a couple of minutes ago." Rose broke our spell. "How about you save this for more appropriate time." I turned towards her and shot her a death glare. "Oh, enough already with the death glares, Bella. Trust me, you'll thank me later." She winked.

I sighed and let it go. After all, I'll have to live with her for the rest of my existence. Another slow song began and Carlisle asked for a dance. Edward went over to Esme to dance with her.

"Thank you, Bella." Carlisle said quietly.

"For what?" I wasn't sure what he was thanking me for.

"I've never seen my son happier than he is today. And it's all because of you."

"It's me who should be thanking you. You welcomed me into your family, even when you knew the consequences of that. And if it wasn't for you, Edward and I would never meet."

"How so?"

"You saved him from a certain death. If you never did that, we wouldn't be here today."

"You are quiet an extraordinary woman. I'm proud to call you my daughter."

"Thank you, Carlisle. It's an honor to have you as a father." He smiled at my words. The song had ended and before I could get to Edward, Emmett grabbed me.

"Come on, dance with your favorite brother!" He winked at me.

"How do you know you're my favorite? For all you know, Jasper could be my favorite."

"Nice try, Squirt. Hmmm, Squirt, I like it." He grinned at his own ingenuity. "I'll always be your favorite. I mean, who else can give hugs like mine?" I kept staring at him in disbelief. "That's right, no one! So there, you can't fight my logic."

"Oookay, Emmett." I rolled my eyes at him. And then I heard the song he selected. I burst out laughing when he started shaking his behind all over the floor, while singing at the top of his lungs. He then grabbed me and started twirling me. After a few moments, he realized it was not the smartest move on his part. He kept stepping on my dress and I heard Alice mutter a few unladylike words. I quickly solved the problem by picking up the hem of my dress. Emmett shot me a grateful smile and we started doing some silly dance moves. Others joined us on the dance floor and did their own version of the silly dancing.

Jasper, not wanting to be left out, asked me for the next dance. I looked around to see every couple dancing and Edward was with Alice. They seemed to be having a silent conversation. I turned back to Jasper and was met by his smiling face.

"What?" I asked.

"I just find it interesting how much Edward has changed since meeting you."

"So I've been told." I smiled. "I've changed a lot because of him, too. I guess you could say we bring out the best in each other."

"I agree with that. The strength of your love is amazing. It's as if you've been together for centuries and not mere months."

"Thank you, Jasper. You're a wonderful brother. And just between you and me," I lowered my voice. "you're my favorite." I winked at him. My comment set him off laughing. A new song began and I was again in Edward's arms.

"Hello again, husband." I smiled.

"Hello, wife." The tone of his voice sent shivers down my spine. How much longer do we have to stay here? Maybe we could sneak away without anyone noticing. I heard Alice let out a loud "Ha" and understood that it wouldn't work.

"What was that about?" Edward must have read her mind.

"I was just planning our getaway. Apparently pixie doesn't think it will work." I pouted.

"Love, we're leaving after this song. No need for an escape plan." The pout disappeared instantly and he chuckled at my reaction.

"Ladies and gentlemen, our love birds are eager to leave us." Alice announced. "So, you two can go and we will continue this little celebration. All of your stuff is already packed so you're welcome."

Edward and I thanked everyone and headed for the house. I needed to change out of my dress. Esme came up a few moments later and helped me. I had no idea where Edward was taking me and was not allowed to pack anything. Alice did all of the shopping and packing for me. I couldn't understand what the big deal was. I mean, I would find out eventually but I let Edward have his fun.

So two plane changes and one boat ride later, I knew the location. We were staying on an island called Isle Esme. As in, Esme's island-Carlisle's gift to her for their anniversary. I guess that's where Cullen men learned about generous gifts.

Edward jumped out of the boat to secure it in place. I took the time to gather both of our bags and stepped down to the dock. Without a warning, Edward picked me up bridal style and raced towards the house. It was gorgeous, just as any of their houses. It was very open since the front of the house was covered in huge windows. Considering no one else inhabited the island, I didn't see it as a problem.

He carried me over the threshold and put me down. I dropped the bags and looked around, taking in the beauty of the house. There was a huge living room to the right and a kitchen to the left. There were two doors which led into the two bedrooms.

"I was thinking of going for a midnight swim." Edward said, drawing my attention back to him. "I don't know if you want to take a shower beforehand."

"Nope." I said, turning towards the door. "Race you to the beach!" I took off towards the water. I began shedding my clothes. I heard him right behind me. I was having a bit of trouble with my pants so I just ripped them off. I heard Edward laugh but just kept going. I dove into the water and emerged a few miles off the shore. I looked around for my husband but couldn't find him. Suddenly, something pulled me under. My first thought was a shark but then I laughed at my own stupidity. Like a shark would dare come near me. I looked around under the water and was met by Edward's mischievous smile. I rolled my eyes at him and pushed away, breaking the surface. He emerged momentarily, laughing.

"That wasn't funny." I tried to sound upset.

"On the contrary, I found it quite amusing." He was wearing my favorite smile. I sighed and swam closer to him.

"So how about I take you up on that promise?" I whispered, wrapping my arms around his neck.

"Anything you want, love."


	24. Chapter 24

We've spent two magical months on Isle Esme. I was sad to leave our little paradise but it was time to return to our family. I've actually missed them, even Alice. We were met by them at the airport since Rose and Emmett picked up Edward's car after we left. Alice was first to knock me down. She ran at me at full speed, saying how much she missed me. Edward laughed as he helped up. I would deal with him later. The rest of the Cullens greeted us as normal human beings would. I pointed that out to Alice but she just shrugged. I guess she wanted to be special. Believe me, she was!

"Tell me everything!" She demanded the moment we stepped into the house.

"Alice, sweetie, I love you but I need to go upstairs and take a shower. Okay?" I spoke to her as if she was a small child.

"Fine! But don't think you're getting off that easy."

"Wouldn't dream of it." I grabbed Edward and ran upstairs. I locked the door behind us. "Care to join me?"

"Bella, I would love nothing more. But I know what Alice is planning in case you don't come downstairs in the next thirty minutes."

"Evil pixie." I grumbled and went into the bathroom by myself.

It was moments like this when I wished we would be back on the island. I took a quick shower and threw on the first thing I saw in the closet. Turned out to be a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved shirt and a pair of socks. I put my hair up into a messy bun, not bothering to dry it. I kissed my beautiful husband, who was unpacking, and went downstairs for the big talk. Alice and Rose were waiting for me at the entrance with a winter coat and a pair of boots. I put them on, pulling the hood over my hair, and followed my sisters outside. Once we were deep in the woods, Alice ordered me to tell them everything.

I told them most of the stuff, leaving out the private moments. I wasn't comfortable sharing that kind of information with anyone. The two months spent on the island were eye opening. We learned many things about each other, both physically and emotionally. I was finally able to convince Edward that I did not regret him changing me. It took some time but I was glad he finally understood. It was there that he promised we'd visit my parents. I just wanted to see that they were okay. I trusted Alice but still.

Edward and I also explored the neighboring islands. There were no humans, leaving us a great hunting ground. We swam in the ocean as often as we could and climbed the mountainous areas. I think we even discovered several new species of plants. Our time there was quite magical.

"I'm glad you've enjoyed your time there." Rose said, after I was done.

"That would be an understatement" Alice added. I narrowed my eyes at her but she gave me an innocent smile. Annoying psychic pixie!

"You're ready to head back?" I asked, eager to return to Edward.

"Sure." The girls agreed and we took off running. We raced towards the house and somehow, Alice won. We were walking into the house, when she suddenly froze.

"Alice, what's wrong?" I asked her.

"She's having a vision." Rose explained.

"Oh my goodness!" Alice exclaimed. "Bella, you're going to love this! Your parents are getting married."

"I'm sorry?"

"Charlie and Renee. They're getting married again!"

"When?"

"Next week. It's not going to be a big ceremony. Just some family friends."

"This is great!" I enveloped both of them in a hug. "Thank you so much for telling me this, Alice."

I was a bit surprised that she even had a vision. After she checked up on my parents the first time, I told her not to worry about it anymore. She gave me her word that they would be fine and that was enough for me. I let go of them and went inside. I rushed upstairs to talk to Edward. He was waiting for me with open arms. I jumped on our bed and lost myself in his embrace.

"Is it safe to assume you've seen Alice's vision?" I asked.

"Yes. They truly looked happy."

"I'm glad. Both of them deserve to be happy." I sat up, never breaking our eye contact. "Edward, I was wondering if we could go to the wedding. Obviously, we would have to stay out of everyone's sight but I just want to see them. Especially on their wedding day."

"Of course, love. I'll make all of the arrangements." He agreed immediately. And here I expected him to argue.

"Just like that?"

"Did you expect me to say no?" He sounded surprised.

"Honestly, yes. I thought you'd try to fight me on this."

"Isabella," He reached out to touch my face. "You have extraordinary self-control so there is no reason to say no to this. Plus, I can never say no to you." He smiled.

"I remember a few times when you said no." I smirked.

"True but those were extremely difficult situations. It seems I can no longer say no to you." Edward admitted. My smirk turned into a full on smile. I was going to see my parents after all of these months and Edward would be by my side.

The day of the wedding

"Are you sure no one will see us here?" I said in a hushed voice.

"Positive. This has been closed off for some years now so there's no reason for anyone to be up here." Edward reassured me.

We were hiding in the shadows on the second floor of the church. It did look abandoned. It looked like it was used for storage since there were boxes lying around. A massive organ kept us hidden. This thing hasn't been used for years. I heard some voices and stepped behind the pipes.

The church had minimal wedding decoration. There were flower bouquets hanging on some of the rows but other than that, nothing else. I guess Renee didn't really care for decorations. I knew Charlie could care less. More and more people began to arrive. I could see Angela and Ben sitting together. A sound of a wheelchair announced the entrance of Billy and Jacob. They came into view, followed by Leah and Seth. There was another older woman, who turned out to be Sue Clearwater. The big surprise turned out to be Margaret. I guess she and Renee grew closer after my death. Lastly, I saw Reverend Webber and my father walk in. They took their respective spots and the wedding march began to play. I couldn't make out who was playing the piano but all thoughts were abandoned when Renee stepped into the view.

She was wearing a simple long sleeved dress. Nothing fancy, just like the rest of the ceremony. She finally made her was to Charlie and turned to face him, giving me a good view of her profile. She looked happy. She seemed to glow with happiness and a moment later I realized why. She had a very noticeable baby bump.

"Is she…" I trailed off, not sure if I was seeing clearly.

"It certainly looks that way." Edward confirmed.

"How did Alice miss this?"

"The vision was very fuzzy."

"How far along is she?" I never took my eyes off of her.

"About five months." He answered after a few moments. "Are you okay?" He turned to me, worried about my reaction.

"I'm fine." I smiled. I really was. "They deserve all of the happiness in the world."

"You're ready to go?" He asked as if he read my mind.

"Yea." We made our silent escape and headed home. I could finally let go of the guilt I felt for leaving my parents. They were together and had a child on the way. They were in a good place and so was I.

Six months later

I slowly made my way into my old room. Well, I guess it was her room now. The little girl was sleeping blissfully in her little crib. I walked over to take a look at her. She looked perfect. I little button nose, pouty lips, and dark wisps of hair covered her little head. I reached and gently touched her hand. I was surprised when the little one grabbed on to my finger and opened her eyes. I expected to see big brown eyes but instead was met by blue ones. I guess she would be taking after Renee in eye color department.

"Hello, little one." I cooed, leaning closer. "You'll probably never know me but I'm your big sister."

She kept staring at me, as if understanding what I was saying. She let out a few gurgles which made me laugh quietly.

"I have to tell you that you have the most wonderful parents in the whole wide world. Trust me, I know. I want you to love them with all of your heart and forgive them when they make mistakes. It's only human after all." I reached my other hand out and tickled her on her tummy. That earned a little laugh out of her.

I heard Renee wake up and prepared myself for what would happen next. I stepped away from the baby and looked up to see my mother standing in the doorway. She gasped once she realized it was me.

"Bella?" She whispered.

"It's me, mom."

"Are…are you alive?"

"No." I shook my head to emphasize my answer.

"You're an angel." She gasped out.

I smiled at her, knowing that she would come to that conclusion. After all, I looked like I didn't belong in this world. With my pale skin, which glowed in the moonlight, and the white dress Alice forced me into, I might have looked like one.

She tentatively stepped towards me, as if afraid to scare me off. When I gave her an encouraging smile, she launched herself at me. I hugged her back, enjoying her warmth.

"You're so cold." Renee said, breaking our embrace.

"It comes with the territory." I joked.

"You have a sister." She informed me.

"What's her name?" I asked, stepping closer to the crib.

"Marie Grace." My mom smiled at me.

"She's beautiful." I smiled back.

"Bella, I'm so…" Renee started out but I cut her off.

"Mom, please don't. It was never your fault."

"But maybe if I…"

"No. Please don't think that. I came here to let you know that I'm at peace. I'm happy in this new life."

"Are you really?"

"Yes."

"Good." She grabbed my hand. "My baby girl, you deserve happiness after all you've been through."

"Thank you." I pulled my hand out of hers. "Mom, I have to go. Please tell dad I love him, too. I hope the three of you will live a long, happy life."

"Will I ever see you again?" Renee asked, tears rolling down her cheek.

"I'm sorry." I reached and wiped her tears away. "Take care of this little one."

"I love you, Isabella."

"I love you too, mom." I watched as she sat down in the rocking chair and fell asleep. I thanked Jasper for his help. I took one last glance around the house and quietly slipped out of the room, closing the window behind me.

Once my feet touched the ground, Edward rushed to my side, embracing me. I took deep breaths, letting his scent wash over me and calm me down.

"Are you alright, love?" He lifted my face so he could look in my eyes.

"I am now." I reached up and captured his lips.

"We should go. Charlie is waking up." He said, ending our kiss. We joined our hands and raced towards our Forks house. The rest of our family was waiting to take us back to Alaska; to take us back home.

Some years later

Our family has decided to take a break for an indefinite amount of time. Most of the time, we traveled together but there was a period of two years when we divided into couples and traveled on our own. Edward and I took a tour of Europe during those years. As a practical joke, Alice bought us tickets to Antarctica. She said that it was payback for messing with her all of those years ago. We actually ended up going for the heck of it. And yes, the penguins were indeed lovely.

Over the years, I kept visiting Forks. I watched as Jake and Leah raised their family. They had a beautiful girl and a boy and a third one of the way. They named their girl Isabella in honor of their brave friend. They hoped she would be as strong as me, Edward told me. I hoped she would have a better life than I did as a human. The little boy was named after both of their fathers-Harry William. They were still undecided on the name for their third child.

Sue and Billy actually ended up together, which proved that love could find you at any age. My sister grew more beautiful with each visit. She had Charlie's curly hair but Renee's blue eyes. I knew Charlie would have to beat boys off with a stick once she became a teenager. Angela and Ben married during the third year of college. They were expecting their first child. A boy, Edward informed me.

The family came back together again, this time in London. The Cullens also owned a house there. Why did these things even surprised me anymore? All of us were enrolled in school again. I think I was the only one excited about it since I never finished high school. To keep the suspicion down, I was officially introduced as Emmett's sister, while Edward and Alice were also brother and sister. Jasper and Rosalie posed as twins again. Emmett was thrilled to have a little sister. How could you now love the Big Bear? Yep, that was my nickname for him since he insisted on calling me Squirt. He was quite fond of his new nickname.

It was eighteen years after my first visit to my parents that Alice had a vision. Charlie had passed away. A week later, Renee followed him. They were truly soul mates and couldn't live without each other. My sister was left all alone in this world. All of us traveled to Forks to pay our respects.

"Hi, mom and dad." I whispered, tracing their names on the tombstone. "I can't believe you're gone. I miss you two so much." I chocked on the last word. I felt Edward wrap his arms around me and closed my eyes. "I'll make sure Marie is taken care of. I'll watch over her, I promise." I stood up and placed the bouquet of flowers on their graves. I glanced one last time and turned to leave. I still couldn't believe they were no longer living.

Edward and I walked towards my old house. Marie was staying with Jake and Leah for a few weeks. I guess I wouldn't want to stay in a big empty house either. I picked up the key from under the mat and stepped inside. Their scent assaulted me, bringing back old memories. A sob shook through my body and my loving husband drew me into him.

"It's going to be okay, love. Just let it all out." He soothed me, gently rubbing my back. I stood there for some time, letting my sorrow out. I finally calmed down and looked around the house. Nothing had changed much, except there were more pictures on the mantle. I walked closer to inspect them. My old pictures were still there. I was surprised to see photos from prom. There was a group picture of all of the couples, one of me and Edward, and one of me and Charlie. Both of us were grinning at the camera. I slowly traced Charlie's outline. It was good to see him smiling, even if it was in photos. The next photo was of their second wedding. Charlie had a hand on Renee's stomach and both of them were laughing. Their expressions made me smile. The next few photos were of Marie. One of her and Renee at the hospital, her first step, and other small milestones. Renee also made sure to have her each year in school documented. The last photos were Marie's senior portrait, prom, and her college dorm.

"They had a good life." Edward broke the silence.

"They really did." I agreed. "I couldn't ask for more."

"You want to stay?"

"No, I'm ready to go."

We locked the house and drove to the family home. Our family was waiting for us. Esme came up to me first, hugging me. She knew exactly what I needed at any given moment.

"How are you feeling, sweetheart?" Esme asked, concern evident in her voice.

"I'll be okay, mom." I started calling her mom some years ago. She had truly become my mother over the years. I turned to Carlisle, my father in every sense of the word.

"Dad, I was thinking…I'm not sure if that's even a possibility…"

"It's already taken care of, Bella." I shot him a confused look. "Alice." He explained. "An account has been opened in Marie's name. She will be able to use it once she turns twenty-one. She will be taken care of, don't worry."

"Thank you so much." I hugged him. I stepped back into Edward's waiting arms. "Let's go home." I said, looking at my family.

I've done everything I wanted to do in Forks. Marie would be taken care of for the rest of her life. She had a family in Leah and Jake. I knew that she'd be okay.

For the first time in my life, I knew everything would be okay. I was married to the love of my life and had a wonderful, loving family. Yes, the journey here was a bit bumpy but I was finally happy. What more could a girl ask for?


End file.
